


Porté Danse

by queenmidalah



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:10:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenmidalah/pseuds/queenmidalah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sigrid is having a hard time rehearsing a particular dance she's a part of because her partner claims to have had better things to do. She gets an interesting surprise when the janitor offers his assistance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> kitsunenohimitsu on Tumblr posted the following idea: Ok but what about an AU in which Sigrid is a ballerina that studies at Thranduil’s ballet academy. So she’s rehearsing there one night and she needs help with one of the dance movements (is it called a portè or something like that? When the boy holds the girl, u know) and this cute guy, Fili, who is the janitor, happens to be there and she ask him for help. And that’s how everything began.
> 
> Also any ballet terminology was found via Google and studying a couple images to help convey the movements that I described. Hopefully I didn't do so poorly.
> 
> The name DaBragi as Fíli's family name has been edited from Durinson, because that would be Dís' maiden name. Thorin has taken Oakenshield as a name he uses professionally only, but his family name is Durinson. DaBragi is a nod to Dean O'Gorman's character, Anders, from "The Almighty Johnsons". For those who have not seen that show, the Johnson brothers are reincarnations of Norse Gods. Dean's character, Anders, is the reincarnation of Bragi, the Norse god of poetry, music, and the harp. An amusing side-note regarding Bragi, it is said he was killed by a Dwarven battle-boar at Ragnarok.

Fíli DaBragi paused his sweeping once he reached one of the minor practice rooms. He was surprised to see the light on and soft music floating out from inside. He could hear the wooden clap of pointe shoes as they hit the wooden dance floor occasionally harder than the person probably intended. There was a particularly loud smack of wood against wood, before it was obvious that flesh and wood met, quickly followed by a feminine voice issuing various curses and grumbles. 

Once Fíli was sure the dancer was once more working on her moves, he moved closer to peak his head in. Before he even saw her face, he was immediately entranced by the length of her smooth legs. Normally he wasn't a leg man, but damn were her legs nice. He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his broad chest, studying her fluid movements. It wasn't until she moved into a glissade and did some odd shift, then jump, before extending into a more fluid movement did he actually say something.

"That's a move I've never seen," Fíli commented, feeling bad as she jumped and spun to face the doorway. He finally got a good look at the delicate features of her face. She was achingly beautiful and he felt his stomach twist just a little.

"That's because I normally have a partner, but he claims he had better things to do tonight," the girl said, obvious annoyance in her tone for her partner.

"Hmm. Let me guess, Leggo-My-Ego," Fíli commented, purposely saying ego instead of Eggo.

The girl bit her lip , her cheeks coloring as she held in a laugh before schooling her features more. "How'd you guess?" she questioned.

"Let's just say he and I have had a few run-ins," he said, giving her a half-grin. "He has an overinflated sense of worth because his father runs this school." He pushed off the door frame and walked towards her.

"How he can pick up any of the dancers with those spindly arms, regardless of how slender you all are, is beyond me," he said. "May I assist?"

"Oh I don't know..." she fidgeted. It was obvious what she was thinking. What would a lowly janitor know about ballet?

"It looks like you are attempting a porté from a glissade before landing, though I can't tell if you are supposed to land in a plié or en pointe." A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips when he saw the surprised expression.

"I used to attend here," he easily explained.

A frown puckered her forehead. "And now you are a... janitor?" she questioned.

"Long story," Fíli grumbled. "Name's Fíli, by the way."

"Sigrid," she said. "And yes, I would appreciate your help." She still seemed skeptical, even as he stepped over to her.

"So what exactly are you doing?" he asked her. Sigrid explained the move to him, convinced he wouldn't entirely get it despite his knowledge of the moves before. She still wasn't convinced that he had attended and probably picked up terminology from working here.

"All right," he finally said, nodding as he understood their pattern. "Music?" Sigrid walked over and adjusted the music to its proper position, before getting her place and starting to move. As she always did, she lost herself in the music, but felt anxiety filling her slightly as they got to the trouble spot.

Then she was stepping into the glissade before turning so her back was to Fíli, her leg lifting up towards his shoulder and she felt his strong hand grip just behind her knee and his other arm come around her waist. Even as her own arm curled around his shoulders, she felt a tingle form and admiration as well as he expertly lifted her up.

Her other knee bent until the point of her foot was touching the inner thigh of her extended leg as he swept her upwards, the leg he was holding pointing straight to the ceiling. He smoothly shifted her body and their positions. His legs spread in a wide, deep plié as he moved her so her back was against his opposite arm, her legs curling around a muscular thigh as she arched her head back, her fingers just sweeping the floor beneath them. She smoothly lifted up, feeling him doing most of the work as he helped her further straighten until she was upright once more, fully en pointe on her left foot as her right leg extended behind her. 

He had shifted from his own plié until he had one knee on the floor, his hands wide on her waist while her own rested easily on his shoulders as she looked into his face. She watched his mouth quirk into a smirking smile as he saw the surprise in her eyes at how fluidly he had moved. Wordlessly he rose, leaving her long enough to restart the music. They wordlessly practiced the same moves for a half hour at least before halting.

"You really can do it," she finally said.

"I really can," Fíli said with a grin. He glanced at the clock and sighed. "Time to get back to work."

"Hey," Sigrid said as he turned to walk away. He paused, turning to glance at her. "Thank you for helping me."

"My pleasure," he said with a soft smile. He turned to go again, until she spoke once more.

"Maybe..." Sigrid bit her lip.

"Maybe?" he prompted.

"Maybe you could help me again tomorrow night?" she asked, her cheeks flaming.

"Maybe," he said, grinning some. "See you tomorrow, Sigrid."

"See you tomorrow," she said, smiling. He turned to leave the room and retrieve the push broom and waste can he had left in the hallway.

"Maybe you can tell me that long story too," she called to him.

"Maybe!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigrid learns a little bit about that long story Fíli has to tell, thanks to Tauriel. And we see what Fíli's thoughts were on his chance to dance again.

"You look about a million miles away." Tauriel Flamehair broke into Sigrid's thoughts as she stared at the notebook in her lap. Sigrid shook her head a little and looked up towards the older ballerina.

While Tauriel was four years older than Sigrid, the younger woman had been attending the Mirkwood Dance Academy earlier than most due to her natural talent. The two women were only two years apart in their academic level at the school, with Tauriel being one of the star female ballerinas of the Academy and slated to join the professional company upon her graduation later that year. She had taken Sigrid on as a protégé of sorts and the two had become quite close.

Unlike many of the other older dancers in attendance, Tauriel had always been quite approachable and willing to assist the younger students. Despite how cutthroat the ballet world could be, Tauriel thought it better to encourage the younger students than tear them down. The arts had enough issues in the world than to tear it down from the inside.

"Sorry," Sigrid finally said. "Just... thinking I guess."

"Did you and Legolas rehearse yesterday?" Tauriel asked, folding her slender frame into a seated position in the grass by Sigrid, arching a brow as the younger girl snorted.

"He had better things to do," Sigrid said.

Tauriel stared at her a moment before rolling her eyes. "Honestly," she said with a sigh. "I have never understood why he bothers."

"Family pressure?" Sigird asked. "I mean his father does own the academy."

"Who knows," Tauriel commented. "So what did you do?"

"Rehearsed on my own," Sigrid said. "At least as best I could without a partner. Until Fíli saw me and assisted."

Tauriel looked at her with an arched brow. "Fíli?"

"Yeah, the janitor?" Sigrid said.

"The janitor?" Tauriel questioned.

"Hm mm," Sigrid said. "He said he used to go here. Didn't quite believe him at first until he helped and... yeah he definitely has training." She wasn't sure at first what to make of Tauriel's lack of response, or how the older girl stared at her. Sigrid did blink when she smoothly got to her feet, holding her hand out to Sigrid.

"Come with me," Tauriel said. Confusion was written across Sigrid's face, but she took Tauriel's hand and easily got to her feet. She gathered her things quickly before she followed the redhead into the halls of the academy. Neither spoke as Tauriel led her down towards the alumni wing.

"What are we doing here?" Sigrid questioned. Tauriel looked at her then looked to the wall, pointing to a picture on the wall.

"Look familiar?" she asked.

Sigrid stepped closer to really look at the picture. Her eyes widened and she felt a blush forming. How could she not have recognized one of the academy's most accomplished dancers? But...

"Why is Fíli DaBragi working as a *janitor*?" She looked at Tauriel.

"He never actually graduated," Tauriel said. "We were occasionally partnered until he left."

"But he's... here," Sigrid said, gesturing to the wall. "And he's often brought up in our classes."

"I don't know all of the details," Tauriel said. "But about a year before he was to graduate, his father was killed, leaving his mom to raise his younger brother by herself along with his uncle. And then he found out an ex-girlfriend of his was pregnant. Apparently she took off after the baby was born. If there's one thing I know of the Durinson and DaBragi family is that they take care of their own."

"But... janitor?" Sigrid asked.

Tauriel sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like I said, I don't know all the details. I know that Thranduil was never fond of Fíli, I think because he overshadowed Legolas for a while. Like you, Legolas started earlier than most. But Thranduil also couldn't begrudge that Fíli was one of the most talented dancers in his classes. Maybe allowing him to work as a janitor was his way of showing his understanding of putting things on hold to raise a child," she said. "There's speculation that Thranduil opened this academy because he had to give up his career after his wife died and he had to take care of Legolas."

"Then why not have him teach?" Sigrid asked.

"Probably because Fíli didn't technically graduate from the academy," Tauriel said. "He dropped out before he had a chance to complete his studies. I don't know what the qualifications for teaching would be."

"Wow," Sigrid breathed, looking at the photo again. It was amazing to see such a difference. The young man in the picture was still devastatingly handsome, but the picture definitely showed a younger, more carefree man. He still had the same short beard, but his hair was shorter, whereas the janitor she met yesterday had hair just past shoulder length. The eyes were definitely the same, which was how she recognized him more than anything. Plus the dimples in his cheeks as he smirked in the image.

"Be careful, Sigrid," Tauriel said. "Fíli is a good man, I do remember that. But he's got some baggage. And he'll always put his child first."

"As he should," Sigrid said. "I'm no stranger to single dads." Her own father was one, after all. In many ways, she was a single mom, having helped raise her siblings since her mother died shortly after Tilda's birth. She hadn't really confided in Tauriel that when she left the academy every evening, it was to go home and make dinner, help with homework, and do housework before collapsing into bed to start her entire day over. Her father worked overly hard to give them all as normal of a life as possible, while allowing Sigrid to attend Mirkwood while Bain and Tilda both attended the Dale Art Academy.

"Besides, what makes you think I'm interested?" Sigrid finally asked. "It was just... it took me by surprise is all that a janitor knew what to do. Though now that I know who he is, it makes sense."

"You just have this look about you," Tauriel said, smirking slightly. "And it's no wonder. He is handsome."

"Who is?" Legolas Greenleaf asked as he walked over to them. He scowled when he saw the picture they were near. "Seriously? Him?"

"Oh stop it," Tauriel admonished him. "Why did you ditch on Sigrid yesterday?"

"I didn't *ditch*," Legolas said. "I had plans."

"And you also have a recital to get ready for, one that is pretty important for probably most of the dancers in said show, including Sigrid," Tauriel said. "Just because your father runs this academy doesn't mean the rest of us can slack off."

"I do not sl--," Legolas started.

"Okay, okay," Sigrid cut in. "Are you available this afternoon to rehearse?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Legolas said, slinging an arm around Sigrid's and Tauriel's shoulders. Tauriel rolled her eyes and shook him off, grabbing Sigrid to pull her away.

"Good," Tauriel said. "Southeast rehearsal room. *I* will be there to watch you both rehearse." She didn't give Legolas time to respond as she tugged Sigrid away. In a way it saddened Sigrid; she had been looking forward to seeing, and dancing, with Fíli again.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

After a quick round as he worked, Fíli soon discovered that Sigrid wouldn't need his assistance that day. It was probably for the best. Helping with dance in any way reminded him of how much he missed it, but he was also in need of getting home a little earlier than normal. Laína had been running a mild fever before he left for work. Luckily his mother, Dís was home for the day and would keep an eye on her. Fíli would still feel better once he was home and able to care for his daughter.

"Hey munchkin," he said as he walked in the door, pleased to see her in her highchair as Dís set her dinner in front of her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her blonde curls before hanging up his jacket. He was glad that Laína primarily looked like the Durinson family and very little like her mother.

"Hey mum," he said as he turned back to them. "How's she feeling?"

"Better," Dís said, tilting her head as Fíli leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Terrorizing her Uncle Kíli since he got home from class."

"I'm sure he was so terrorized," Fíli said, affection in his tone for his younger brother. "Anything to avoid a paper."

"Actually he just finished his final midterm for the semester," Dís said. "So after playing with Laína, he went up to take a well-deserved nap. He should be down shortly, said he wanted to start looking for a part-time job between semesters."

"Uncle and I have told him he doesn't have to," Fíli said, getting himself some dinner. "He's got one semester left before he'll have his degree, he should focus on that."

Dís lifted a shoulder. "I know," she said, smiling at Laína as the child tried to offer her grandmother a piece of hot dog. "But he is insistent." She looked over at her eldest son. "I think he feels guilty that you didn't get to finish at Mirkwood after your father died and Dorku left after Laína was born."

"Nothing to feel guilty about," Fíli said. "He struggled that first semester at university as it was, I didn't want him feeling anymore pressure with Dad gone. And I couldn't focus at Mirkwood when I had a daughter to raise."

"Your brother loves you," Dís reminded him. "Which means he wants you as happy and able to live your dreams as he is being able to." She set her fork down, studying Fíli before speaking again.

"And yesterday was the first time in a long time that you had that look about you that you did when you were dancing," she said. "The only time I really see you that happy is when you are playing with your daughter. It makes me curious to know what brought it on."

A soft flush colored Fíli's cheeks. Had he missed dance that much? He cleared his throat a little, poking at his food.

"I... uh... I helped one of the students with something," he admitted. "She was rehearsing and didn't have her partner, so I offered..."

"Oh? Was it Tauriel?" Dís asked. She remembered the young redhead when she would attend recitals before Fíli left.

"No," Fíli said. "Her name is Sigrid. I think they are friends though, I've seen her with Tauriel sometimes. She's a newer student. Well... newer in the sense that she wasn't in attendance while I was."

"And you enjoyed it," Dís said. Despite all of Fíli's bravado, she knew he missed dancing. Her husband had been reluctant to encourage their son's desire to dance, but Thorin and Dís had both seen the boy's passion, as well as his natural talent. Together they had managed to convince Finn to let Fíli take lessons. Once he saw his son flourish, he had been one of Fíli's biggest supporters. It would tear him apart to know that his death was one of the reasons that Fíli had given up his passion.

"I did," Fíli admitted quietly. "But that part of my life is over." He began to eat, but he suddenly wasn't as hungry as he had been. Dís didn't push the subject, allowing the two to eat in silence. It would be a subject best left for later, when Laína wasn't able to pick up on her father's emotions.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Fíli had to admit that his favorite time of the day was bedtime. It was a time for him to relax and snuggle with his daughter. He often read her a story, or would sing softly to her. Sometimes they would play together a bit with her stuffed animals if she was still a little hyper. It never took long for her to snuggle down, letting her father tuck her in and rest against him as he just enjoyed being with her.

That night was no different, though his mind did drift to his brief time the night before dancing with Sigrid. What he admitted to his mother was true. He had enjoyed dancing again, but he knew that nothing would come of it. His life was no longer in that world as it once was, his focus needed to be Laína. Even still, his mind couldn't help but think about both the dancing and the girl he had danced with. He'd been thinking a lot about Sigrid since their brief time together. He'd be a fool to not see just how beautiful she was, how sweet she seemed.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headboard. He couldn't let his thoughts even remotely entertaining anything that was creeping up. Sigrid had her entire life ahead of her. He could see the talent she had. She was going to go far at the academy and would most likely join the professional dance troupe once she graduated. He was a single father, working as a janitor. Their worlds were so immensely different now. And he had to focus. Laína was his sole priority and he didn't need to involve himself in something that would shift that focus from her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigrid and Fíli talk, plus we get to see Sigrid's home life this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How has this taken on a life of its own?! I guess it doesn't matter. Dancey fun times next chapter.

"Hey." Fíli lifted his head to look at the female who spoke. The corner of his mouth lifted when he saw Sigrid sitting with her knees drawn to her chest in the middle of the practice room.

"Hey yourself," he said, pushing the waste can to the side and resting his push broom against the wall. Tucking his hands into his jeans, he strolled towards her. "Why do I get the impression you were waiting for me?"

Sigrid blushed lightly but lifted a slender shoulder. "Maybe because I am," she said. "Sorry we didn't get to work together yesterday."

Fíli shook his head as he folded his frame down to the floor. "No need to be sorry," he said. "Saw your partner was with you. Made an early day of it. I needed to get home, my daughter wasn't feeling well."

"Is she okay?" Sigrid asked.

"She is," Fíli said. "Just a little bug. She was feeling better once I got home and much better this morning."

"What's her name?" Sigrid asked, shifting her legs to stretch in front of her.

"Laína," Fíli said with a soft smile.

"Pretty name," she said.

"I'd ask if you had any kids, but you are a bit young," Fíli commented.

Sigrid's eyebrow rose towards her hairline. "So are you," she said.

"Touché," he said.

Sigrid toyed with the edge of her soft ballet shoe. "So um... I didn't realize you were Fíli DaBragi..."

Fíli chuckled, leaning back to rest on an elbow. "Who clued you in?" he asked.

"Tauriel," Sigrid said, her cheeks flushing. "I mentioned you helping me since Legolas couldn't be bothered and she showed me your picture. I didn't recognize you."

"I look a bit different now than I did while I was a student here," Fíli commented.

Sigrid's eyes flicked to the hair that fell over his shoulders. "Oh just a little," she said with a smile.

Fíli chuckled before shifting to get to his feet. "Well I should get back to..."

"Wait," Sigrid said, rising as well. He looked at her, arching a brow. "I... was hoping you'd still be interested in helping me?"

Fíli sighed a little. "Look I..." he shifted to face her more. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"Please?" Sigrid asked. "I can arrange my schedule so it doesn't disturb your work and..."

Fíli shook his head. "I still have a daughter to take care of too," he pointed out.

"And I have a brother and sister I take care of as well as a household," Sigrid said. "Please. I'm here on scholarship and this showcase is a really big deal for me. I want to show that I deserve to be here, and Legolas doesn't seem to care. I mean why should he? His father owns the school, so it's not like he has to work for it."

Her comment regarding her brother and sister intrigued Fíli, probably more than it should. The comment on the scholarship also did. He honestly believed Sigrid was like most of the girls that attended the school, coming from well to-do families that could afford to send their children to special schools. He had also attended on a scholarship, which is why it burned a hole in his gut that he had to give it up. He would never regret his daughter, however. She was his life now. His mother was right, however, he did miss dancing. Maybe this was his chance to indulge again without giving up the income he needed to raise his daughter and make sure his mother was all right, as well as get Kíli through his last semester.

"What do you suggest?" Fíli asked.

"Weekends and if you have days off? I'll adjust homework and things at home to fit when you are available," Sigrid said.

He thought about it a moment, watching her as she stood there, waiting for his answer. Finally he tilted his head, speaking. "I'll tell you what," he said. "Let's try it for this weekend to see how things go. Tomorrow is Saturday. I'll ask my mom if she's available to watch Laína. You have a place we can work?"

"Here?" Sigrid said. "I usually try and book one of the rehearsal rooms when I have..." She tilted her head as Fíli shook his.

"I know I helped here the other day, but I don't know if it would be a good idea if I continue to help you here," he said. "Liability issues and what not in case either of us gets hurt. You'd be covered, but I'm no longer a student so..."

"Well... where?" Sigrid asked.

Fíli looked down at his toes, thinking. He knew of a place, but did he want to bring her further into his world and bring dance back into it that much? He sighed. There really was no other way, because they couldn't rehearse at the school. Thranduil would probably have a fit and fire him on the spot, especially if Legolas complained. Finally he looked up and pulled out his phone. He handed it to her.

"Type in your number," he said. "I know a place, I'll text you the address."

Sigrid looked slightly skeptical. Fíli really couldn't blame her. He tried getting out of helping her, maybe this was just a way for him to dodge once he wasn't face to face with her. He wouldn't admit it to her, but he was excited at the idea of getting to dance again, so he didn't plan on bailing now.

"I need to confirm it, but there's room at the restaurant and bar my uncle's friends own," Fíli explained. "I used to use it for private rehearsal time. I'm sure they won't mind if I do so again." As long as she didn't mind the potential that many of those he considered family would pop their heads in to watch them, or even his family proper.

There was a part of him that wanted her to meet his family, especially Laína. That was an unusual feeling for him. He was usually very wary of introducing any female to his daughter. The thought stopped his heart slightly. Most of the time when he thought of potentially introducing Laína to a woman in his life, it is because he was interested in dating her and needed to gauge the woman's reaction. He and his daughter were a package deal after all. Why would he be thinking such things where Sigrid was concerned? He was only assisting her with dance.

She didn't seem to notice his distraction as she typed her name and number into his phone before handing it back. She silently walked over to her dance bag, drawing out her own phone. She handed it over to him, earning a smirk. As silently as she had done so, he typed in his name and number before saving it and handing it back to her.

"Once I confirm, I'll text you," Fíli said. "Should be later tonight, though it might be late..."

"I'll see it," Sigrid said. "I usually don't get to bed until later in the evening once homework help and housework is done." There were those comments again, which intrigued Fíli more than he should be. He nodded before tucking his phone away.

"See you tomorrow, Sigrid."

"See you tomorrow."

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Sigrid glanced at the clock as she got home. Her father would be home in an hour. If she didn't pick something too complicated, she could have dinner done in time. She still hated how hard he had to work in order to ensure good futures for all of them since her mother passed away, but she knew he did it because he wanted the best for his kids. She also knew that he wished that Sigrid could enjoy being a teenager more.

Sigrid, honestly, wouldn't have things any other way. She liked taking care of her family, and felt it was the best way to help her father with everything he already held on his strong shoulders. She tossed her bag onto the bench near the door, putting her phone on the table before getting to work on dinner.

Putting on music, she hummed to herself as she danced lightly in place as she cooked, losing herself in the music. She briefly heard her phone buzzing as a text came in, but didn't think anything of it. She was used to her father sending her a text to let her know if he was going to be late or not. She heard one of her siblings come into the kitchen and open the refrigerator to grab a drink. She didn't bother turning from the chicken she was cutting up.

"Who's Fíli?" Tilda's voice asked. Sigrid turned, seeing her sister holding her phone up, reading the screen.

"Tilda!" She quickly washed her hands and reached to grab the phone from her. Tilda ducked out of her sister's way.

"Does Sigrid have a boyfriend?" Tilda teased her, dancing around the table. "Oooh. When do we get to meet him?"

"Give me my phone, Tilda," Sigrid growled. She lunged for her sister, but even her longer reach didn't quite reach the girl.

"Sigrid and Fíli sitting in a tree," Tilda sing-songed.

"Tilda, I am warning you," Sigrid said. She made another grab for her sister, catching her about the waist and started to wrestle for her phone.

"Let go!" Tilda screeched, wiggling against Sigrid.

"Tilda! Sigrid!" Bard Bowman was home earlier than normal. Sigrid immediately let her sister go, guilt washing over her. Bard sighed, shaking his head.

"Tilda, give your sister her phone," he said, setting his things down, including the bag of groceries in his arms.

"Sigrid has a boyfriend, Da," Tilda said gleefully as she felt her sister yank the phone out of her hand.

"I do not!" Sigrid said.

"Stop teasing your sister," Bard said. "Go get cleaned up for dinner and tell Bain to do the same." He began to pulling groceries out of the bag as Tilda headed out of the kitchen, humming along to that blasted rhyme. Sigrid turned back to the chicken she had been cutting before Tilda had interrupted.

"So," Bard said, opening the refrigerator to put things away. "A boyfriend, hm?"

Sigrid's cheeks flushed brightly. "He's not a boyfriend," she said. "Just someone who..." She didn't want to reveal to Bard that Fíli was a janitor at the academy. He might try and keep her from working with him if he thought he was lying, as Sigrid had thought when he first offered his help when they met.

"Someone who...?" Bard prodded.

"Someone who has attended the academy," Sigrid finally said. "Legolas can't be bothered to make time to rehearse, but I still need to. Fíli has simply agreed to help rehearse with me." She looked over at her father, giving him a smile. "That's all."

"Hmm," Bard said, putting the rest of the groceries away before retrieving plates to set the table. "Yet you blush and practically eviscerated your sister when she took your phone."

"I blush at everything, Da," Sigrid said with a small laugh. "And I hate when Tilda reads things that are no concern of hers. She shouldn't have been reading my texts."

"That I do agree on," Bard said. "I'll talk to her." He pressed a kiss to Sigrid's temple before finishing with the table setting. "I'll go clean up while you finish dinner."

"All right," Sigrid said. "Oh Da." Bard turned. "The text... it was because I am meeting Fíli to rehearse tomorrow. I hope that's okay?"

Bard tilted his head. "Of course, darling," he said. "Though don't forget you deserve days off too."

Sigrid smiled softly, focusing on cooking. "I know, Da." Bard headed out of the kitchen. It took all of Sigrid's self-control to finish making their meal and cleaning up before turning to pick up her phone. Taking a deep breath, she read the text from Fíli.

_Tomorrow 9am. Bombur Bistro & Bar. It's on 28th and Main. Got the go ahead for us to use the old studio above. See you then._

A smile crossed Sigrid's features. So he wasn't canceling on her, which was good since she already told her father they were. She sent off a quick acknowledgement that she'd see him tomorrow before tucking her phone away. She wouldn't rise to Tilda's teasing when the Bowman family sat down for their evening meal and saw her smile. The elation she felt carried her through the rest of the evening, even through the struggles of helping Bain with his math homework and wrangling Tilda into practicing her violin before sending both off to bed. Once Sigrid finally took herself to bed, she fell asleep with a soft smile on her face, excited for the day to come.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigrid and Fíli have their first meeting for rehearsal. A little of their history is shared between them, plus Sigrid meets Thorin and a few of his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes for this chapter. Someone asked me how old some people were in this 'fic so here are some explanations:
> 
> \- Sigrid is 18; Fíli is 23/24; Tauriel is almost 22; Legolas is 22/23; Kíli just turned 22. Mirkwood is the "college" level portion of the dance academy. There might be a "pre-college divison", I haven't decided yet, though I am leaning towards yes, so to play more into the Fíli/Legolas rivalry, since Fíli would have had to quit when he was like 21, a year before graduating, because of Laína's birth and his father's death. Laína is almost 2 years old. I need to figure out the ages for Thorin & Co now, as well as Bard and Dís.
> 
> \- I've established a 6 year difference in this chapter between Sigrid and Tilda, which makes Tilda 12; Bain is two years younger, so he is 16.
> 
> \- I am using the book "ages" in that Fíli and Kíli were the youngest of the company. Ori is older than they are, unlike in the movies where he is the youngest of the company behind the brothers.
> 
> \- Frerin is not dead in this story, but he will not be a prominent character. And since I am, personally, not a Bagginshield 'shipper, I actually have paired off Frerin and Bilbo.
> 
> \- I've given the last name "Fellson" to Nori, Dori, and Ori. This is an "origination" that their father's name would be "Fell", which in old Norse means "Lived in the mountain". I have to create one for Bombur and Bofur, then decide if Bifur has the same last name as well or not. It probably will be and explain that their fathers were brothers. Fundinson is Balin and Dwalin's last name, as their father's name was Fundin. Glóin and Óin are the only ones of the Company to not make an appearance yet, but when they do their last name will be Gróinson. 
> 
> \- I already have notes written out for Chapter 5 already, this thing has grown beyond anything I imagined.

Sigrid woke bright and early the next morning. She wanted to get up and make sure she had breakfast made for her father and siblings before heading off to meet with Fíli to rehearse. She hummed lightly as she cooked, eating sparingly herself. For some reason, her stomach was suddenly twisting in all sorts of weird ways as if she was heading to her first recital. It was just a rehearsal!

"Sig, can you help me with my homework after breakfast?" Tilda asked, bouncing downstairs to the table.

"I'll help you today, darling," Bard said as he came into the kitchen from the side door. He reached for a mug to get some coffee, but it was obvious he had already been out for a jog this morning. "Sigrid has plans."

"Oooh with your boyfriend, Fíli?" Tilda teased. Sigrid whirled with a spatula in her hand, but Bard caught it easily.

"He is not her boyfriend," he said smoothly to Tilda. "But he is assisting your sister with her upcoming showcase for Mirkwood. So stop teasing."

"Don't mean anything by it," Tilda grumped, flopping into her seat.

"Doesn't matter," Bard said. He reached over and nudged her. "Now up and set the table please. I'm going to finish breakfast so your sister can get going."

"Da I can..." Sigrid said.

"I know," Bard cut her off. He gave her a gentle smile. "Now go on. I can surely handle breakfast. I took care of a good many before you were old enough to wield a spatula on your own."

Sigrid laughed and pressed a kiss to her father's cheek before she dashed up to her room. She made sure she had everything she needed in her bag; leg warmers, dance shoes, pointe shoes, water bottle, towel, music, and notes. She turned to look in the mirror, wondering if the dance shorts she was wearing were too revealing. For all of Sigrid's slenderness, she was quite curvy. She had confided in Tauriel once that she wore certain dance clothes to hide her figure and often bound her breasts as well, because she didn't have the typical ballerina figure. The older woman had immediately chastised her for daring to hide any part of her. She no longer bound herself, but she sometimes still covered herself more from the waist down. Yet she was consciously considering showing more of herself to Fíli as they rehearsed.

A part of her paused, wondering why she would take such a note. She rarely even let Legolas, often her dance partner, see her full figure. Why would she considered it with the older blonde? Was her subconscious trying to tell her she had an interested outside of dance and she wanted him to see her as more than just a ballerina looking for his assistance? To see her as a woman?

Before her thoughts could go down that way of thinking too much, she shoved her legs into a pair of loose fitting pants and pulled on her walking shoes. She grabbed her bag and headed out of her room before her shy nature would take over and force her to change into something more conservative. If she could get out the door and at least halfway to her destination before her brain kicked in, she knew it would mean not turning back. Especially because she knew there was no way she would be able to dance in the pants she had on and would need to strip down to the dance shorts and showing every inch of her curves to a man that had started to haunt her dreams the moment they met.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

"Bombur! Catch!" Sigrid was not expecting to have to dodge a hard-boiled egg as it went flying from one of the tables and straight into the mouth of the quite round man behind the bar. Cheers sounded from the five men around the table where the egg had started, as well as the more muffled sounds from the man who caught it as he cheered around the egg.

"Oh!" a man with a large, dark mustache and an odd hat said as he scurried to his feet. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No harm," Sigrid said. "I uh... I'm looking for Fíli. I'm supposed to meet him here?"

Three men at another table looked up, one with long dark hair and a beard got to his feet. "You must be Sigrid?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Um... yes," Sigrid said shyly. She hesitated a moment before she extended her hand. "Sigrid Bowman."

"Any relation to Bard Bowman?" another of the men, this one with a head full of pure white hair, asked. Thorin took Sigrid’s hand, shaking it gently.

"My father," Sigrid said. "Do you know him?"

"Aye," the man said. "We've had the pleasure of working with him. I'm Balin Fundinson, my brother, Dwalin, and this is Thorin Oakenshield."

"At least professionally," Thorin said. "My family name is Durinson."

"So you are related to Fíli?" Sigrid asked. She remembered Tauriel mentioning that the Durinsons and the DaBragis took care of family.

"I'm his uncle," Thorin said, a soft smile easing the harsh lines of his face. She could see some of the resemblance, especially in their blue eyes. She wondered if it was Fíli's mother or father who had the fairer features, and immediately it made her wonder if his daughter favored his lighter coloring as well.

"Uncle, I just wanted to... Sigrid," Fíli was saying as he came down the stairs, pausing when he saw the young woman.

Sigrid turned, giving him a bit of a smile. "Hey," she said. "Just got here."

"Was just coming to see if you were here yet," Fíli said as he stepped off the last step and walked over to her. "Everything is set up, so we can get started anytime."

"Wait, wait," Bofur said. "She's only had the chance to be introduced to Balin, Dwalin, and your uncle. What about the rest of us?"

"Well," Sigrid said. "That's Bombur." She pointed to the man behind the bar. He gave her a grin and a wave.

"How...?" Fíli asked, turning to her.

"Lucky guess," Bofur said to her.

"Only in that you called his name when you threw a hard-boiled egg that I had to duck so he could catch it in his mouth," Sigrid quipped. Bofur had the decency to blush as Fíli turned to look at him.

"I like her," Dwalin said. "Fíli, you better not let this one get away."

"Oookay," Fíli said, a blush fusing his cheeks. "Sigrid, you've met Balin, Dwalin, and Uncle Thorin obviously, the others are Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Ori, and Nori. And with that, we should get upstairs."

Sigrid hugged her bag close, her own cheeks coloring at Dwalin's words. She gave the other men a smile and a nod as Fíli rested his hand at her lower back and steered her towards the stairs to head up to the where they would be practicing. Both were silent as Sigrid set her bag down and began pulling things out.

"Sorry about them," Fíli said, moving to toe off his slippers. He was used to dancing in bare feet, which had always drove Thranduil insane when he had been a student. "They can be a bit rowdy, but they are like family. I've known them all my life."

Sigrid lifted her head from her bag. She smiled slightly. "No worries," she said. She set her soft shoes down before taking off her walking shoes. "I wish my dad had friends like that."

"He doesn't?" Fíli asked, starting to stretch his arms and back.

"No," Sigrid said. She hesitated when his head was down as he stretched his neck and upper back. She took a breath before slipping her loose pants down over her hips and legs, tossing them aside. She quickly sat on a chair to slip her soft shoes on. "After my mom died, he kind of got a little lost. When he found himself again, it became more about making sure he could give Tilda, Bain, and I the best he could as a single father."

Fíli paused, glancing over at her. He knew he had felt a kindredness with her, but it made no sense to him how. First knowing of her scholarship to Mirkwood, her comments about helping with homework and housework, and now learning that her father was a widower was making it so much clearer. Looking at her, he found himself appreciating her more than he had before for how hard she was working at Mirkwood. 

He was also now distracted by her legs again. Only this time, the rest of her wasn't quite as covered and he could see just how shapely the young woman was. And damn was she shapely. Fíli definitely preferred his women to be more on the curvier side, unlike his brother who seemed to have a preference for women with forms more like Tauriel's. Sigrid definitely was not willowy as Tauriel was. In many ways, he wondered how much crap she was given for her curves. He knew how catty many ballerinas could be, hell dancers in general. He also knew that there was a certain body type that people claimed were better suited for ballet. It made him wonder if Sigrid's figure was another reason she worked so hard to prove her dance worth.

He shook himself out of his thoughts, because if he didn't then his body was going to quickly betray him about just how much he appreciated her curves. Things were awkward enough after Dwalin's proclamation to add his treacherous body into the mix. He moved to the center of the floor, sitting and spreading his legs out into a V. He gestured for Sigrid to join him once she looked at him again.

"How old were you?" Fíli asked once Sigrid sat down and stretched her own legs out into a V, pressing her inner ankles against his. He held his arms out to her, pleased when she reached out and curled her fingers around his wrists with a firm grip as he did the same to her. With a nod, he began to lay back, pulling her slowly towards him to help her stretch.

"I was just shy of turning 7," Sigrid said, her voice sad. "Tilda wasn't even a year old yet."

"What happened, if I may ask?" Fíli asked. He hated seeing the sorrow in Sigrid's eyes. He felt her fingers tighten around his wrist a little as they straightened before she leaned back, pulling him towards her. He gave her wrist a supportive squeeze. "If it's too hard..."

"It'll always be hard," she admitted quietly. "But I can't hide from it forever, and it's been over 10 years." She slowly lifted herself upwards as Fíli pulled. They took a moment before he leaned back again, pulling her towards him. "She was running errands one day. While she was crossing at an intersection, an elderly lady was driving through. They think she had a minor stroke while driving, but whatever it was, she never slowed down."

Fíli felt his heart constrict. He straightened them, but halted Sigrid when she tried to lean backwards. He let his thumbs brush against the jut of her wrist bone through her skin. He could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. 

"She was in a coma for a week," she whispered. "It's not easy for a little girl to understand why all these machines were hooked up to her mother, or why she wouldn't wake up." She swallowed, her fingers tightening on Fíli's wrists. "The doctor's told Da there was no hope. She was brain dead and keeping her hooked up to life support wasn't going to do any of us any good because she would never breathe on her own or wake up."

She let go of Fíli's wrist to dash at a tear that slipped onto her cheek. He didn't release her other hand, but his free hand found her knee and squeezed it in comfort. "I am so sorry," he said quietly.

"I... don't remember what it was like to be a little kid," she quietly admitted, her head lowered. "Da... he spiraled. If he wasn't drinking, he was attempting to work. I was left to deal with my four-year-old brother and my baby sister. I grew up fast those first few months."

Fíli felt anger rising in his chest at Sigrid's father. No child should have so much settled onto their shoulders. It gave him a moment's pause. Wasn't that what he had done to himself? He could argue that he was older than Sigrid had been, but he remembered his mother's grief when his father had been killed by a drunk driver. It's one of the reasons he had left Mirkwood, to help raise his little brother and help his mother and uncle. If it had not been for the reason in which her husband had died, Dís could have also turned to drink to drown her grief. Could he truly fault Sigrid's father for dealing with his grief in such a manner? 

"How long was he like that?" Fíli asked.

"Not long," Sigrid said. "About six months, though Da will say it was far too long. I told him that I know of people who have drowned their sorrows for years. And others who never stopped. He lost his way for a few months and he regrets it every day because he feels he failed us. I tell him he didn't, but..."

"A father is meant to protect their children," Fíli said. "Even failing to protect them from a skinned knee tears them apart."

Sigrid lifted her head to look at him. For a moment she had forgotten just how well he knew what it meant to be a father. She had a visual in her head of how distraught he must have been the first time his daughter took a tumble and he couldn't stop her. She squeezed his hand.

"Da is a good man," she said. "After that, he never touched alcohol again. He doesn't even drink wine or ale occasionally. It's too painful. After that, he started working harder, wanting to make sure we never wanted for anything."

Fíli could never, would never, voice the relief that moved through him. Despite only living in a bottle for six months, the man could have still gotten drunk occasionally. As cruel as it was to think, he was glad to know that he could push the thought aside that Bard was the driver responsible for his own father's death. He could simply ask his mother or uncle. They both knew who was responsible, but had never given that information to Fíli or Kíli. 

Now that Fíli really thought about it, he would have known by how Thorin had greeted Sigrid to know if Bard had been responsible. While he would never blame the child for the father's sins, Thorin would have been almost cold in his greeting. His memory also surfaced that Thorin often referred to Bard Bowman when dealing with business. Regardless of how good the man might be in a business setting, Thorin would not associate with him if the man were responsible for his brother-in-law's death.

"You looked for away," Sigrid said, moving to take his other wrist again and resume their stretching.

"Thinking of my own father," Fíli admitted.

"May I ask...?" Sigrid trailed off.

"I asked you, it's only fair," Fíli pointed out. He shifted their stretching so they were moving in a circle as he laid back and moved to the side, bringing her with him.

"Hmm true, but it's been a bit longer for me if I am to understand correctly," she said.

"Like you said, it'll always be hard," he said as he straightened. He pulled her right wrist, twisting their upper bodies to loosen their trunks. "He was killed by a drunk driver."

"Oh..." she breathed. "I'm sorry. Was... was anyone with him?"

"Both of my uncles were," Fíli said. "Uncle Frerin lost one of his legs. Uncle Thorin's arm was broken, but Dad was the worse of the injuries." He twisted them to the left. "He tried his best, but there was nothing Uncle Thorin could do for my father. He died on the way to the hospital."

"Where's your Uncle Frerin?" Sigrid asked. When Fíli shifted his legs and stood, she folded hers. Taking his offered hands, she elegantly got to her feet. 

"He lives in Hobbiton now," he said. "He and his physical therapist fell in love. He and Bilbo live at Bag End, the Baggins family home in Hobbiton."

"Baggins," Sigrid murmured. "That name sounds really familiar."

Fíli grinned. "His mum used to be a dancer. Belladonna Took-Baggins."

"That's it!" Sigrid said. "So... I guess we should get to rehearsing, huh?"

"Probably," Fíli said with a laugh. "Do you have notes on the choreo?"

"I do," Sigrid said, turning to head back to her bag. Fíli took a moment to appreciate the natural sway of her hips. He had to resist the urge to give a low whistle at how fluid her movements were. Not to mention how sensual she made a simple move look.

"I brought the musical piece too," Sigrid said, holding up a notebook and a MP3 player.

Fíli walked over and took the notebook. "Why don't you cue up the music while I review the choreo? Then we can get started." Sigrid nodded. She showed him the pages before she headed over to the MP3 hookup. Neither spoke as he read and she got the music ready.

"All right..." Fíli said as he set the notebook down. "I think I have it. Why don't we run through it a few times?"

The two took their spots before they began, letting the music flow. They began slowly, ignoring the exact placement of where they needed to be in the music. It was there for them to dance to, but as Fíli familiarized himself with the steps, the two dancers began to move easily together as if they had been doing so for years.

Sigrid knew Fíli was an amazing dancer just by reputation, but she had only thought herself good enough to be admitted early. In his arms, she felt nothing she ever had before. She never felt like she was destined for dance when dancing with Legolas. She never felt as if this was her true calling and that every facet of the world made sense, except right now as she danced in Fíli's arms. She tried to ignore the attraction she obviously felt for him, which was intensifying the feeling of *rightness* to be dancing with him as her partner. When he had removed his shirt as he got warmer, it didn't help with the intense attraction she felt. She had to silently remind herself that she couldn't get used to this, because he was only helping her. Legolas was her partner.

The two worked together mostly silently for hours before Fíli halted them. Without a word to them, Bombur had come up and left some lunch for them to enjoy at the door. They ate together, managing to find an easy conversation between them about the choreography they were working on, Fíli's own experiences when he did showcases and recitals, and Sigrid's fears that she would never remember everything and make herself look a fool. 

After eating their lunch, Fíli had managed to half-convince Sigrid she would do marvelously, and they got back to work. It wasn't until close to four that afternoon that Fíli halted them for the day. He walked over to the MP3 player and stopped the music, grabbing two bottles of water as well as the player. He handed the player and one of the bottles to Sigrid.

"I think that's good for today," he said. "I know you probably have things to do at home, and I want to spend some playtime with Laína before my muscles decided to remind me that it's been awhile since I've danced this much."

"Oh!" Sigrid said. "Fíli, I'm sorry. I forgot!"

Fíli waved his hand as he took a long drink of water. "I'll be honest," he said. "So did I." Sigrid grinned. "But since I will be reminded, painfully, tomorrow. Why don't we take tomorrow off and figure out over text when to meet again? I suspect I'll be doing some soaking in hot water and stretches tomorrow."

Sigrid's brain immediately imagined his muscular form soaking in a large stone tub that was filled with hot, steamy water. His long blonde hair loose and damp strands clinging to his neck and shoulders. She had to blink a couple times and take a drink to try and rid herself of the mental image and quench her suddenly dry throat so she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of him.

"Sounds like a good idea," she finally managed to say. "A day off will give me a chance to make sure that Da actually helped Tilda understand her homework instead of confusing her more."

Fíli laughed. "Ah yes," he said. "I remember those days when Uncle Thorin and Dad used to help Kíli and me. Or rather... they attempted to until Mum got home and shooed them off."

Sigrid laughed, heading over to her bag. She slipped her soft shoes off to toss them in before slipping her loose pants over her legs. Fíli tried not to pout at losing his perfect view of her bare skin.

"Just you wait," Sigrid said. "The day will come for you to help your daughter."

Fíli groaned. "Don't remind me," he said, laughter in his tone. He grabbed the shirt he had shed earlier and slipped it on. It was Sigrid's turn to keep from pouting as his chest was covered. "I am dreading that day and hope to Mahal that Mum will still be as good at math as she was when I was in school."

Sigrid laughed, slipping her walking shoes on. "It's not that bad," she said. "Though Tilda and Bain both would disagree with me."

"Kíli and I would have to agree with your siblings," Fíli teased. He glanced around as they gathered everything, making sure they didn't miss anything. He turned and led her out of the studio, turning the light off. As they made their way down the stairs, Fíli was silently thankful for the fact that the only people still in the bar were customers and Bombur, who was behind the bar. He nodded his thanks for taking care of them, earning a wave from the rotund man. Fíli knew that Bofur and Bifur were probably in the back office. Once he saw Sigrid off, he'd go back to say good-bye. The Fellson brothers had probably headed off after their weekly gathering, as had Dwalin, Balin, and his uncle.

The couple stepped out of the bar, noting the weather was a little cooler. Sigrid tugged her jacket closer, turning to Fíli. "Thank you," she said. "For helping me. And listening."

The corner of his mouth tugged upwards and he nodded to her. "My pleasure. I'll text you," he said. 

"All right," Sigrid said. She gave a small wave. "See you later, Fíli.

"See you later, Sigrid." He watched her walk down the sidewalk to her car. He didn't head back into the restaurant until she drove off and he couldn't see her tail lights after she turned the corner. As he walked in, he already knew he was in deep trouble. 

The girl had managed to get under his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigrid gets some potentially dream shattering news, which leads to the Durinsons, the DaBragis, the Bowmans, and the Company meeting for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I've added some pretty new page spacers to the previous chapters and this one. Essentially it is "dancer" in Sinhala. Found it on a fluke and thought it looked awesome and rather fitting for section breaks.
> 
> \- The term "indyo" is technically Elvish and means granddaughter, but as I can't seem to find a Dwarvish translator, I made do with what I could for Dís' nickname for Laína.
> 
> \- I had been tempted to attempt the idea of a Bard/Thranduil pairing, but after writing this chapter I might play with the idea of Bard/Dís. We shall see though.

Sigrid had to admit that she was in shock. After being released from Thranduil’s office, she’d quickly made her way to the practice room where she’d met Fíli the first time. She wanted to cry, could even feel the tears forming, but she had to be strong. She had to figure things out instead of letting the terror fill her.

_“You wished to see me?” Sigrid asked as she walked into Thranduil’s office._

_“Ahhh Miss Bowman,” Thranduil said. “Yes… I’m afraid I have some bad news.”_

_Sigrid immediately felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Is… is everything alright, sir?” she asked._

_“Nothing life threatening, but I am afraid that we are going to have to cancel your performance in the showcase,” Thranduil said._

_Panic began to fill her as she stared at the headmaster of Mirkwood, her voice stuck in her throat. She finally cleared her throat. “Did… did I do something wrong, sir?”_

_Thranduil lifted his head from the papers he had been reviewing, a frown creasing the skin of his forehead. “No,” he said. “No, my dear. My apologies. I did not mean to imply such a thing.” With a sigh, Thranduil rose and walked around his desk before perching on the edge._

_“I am regretful to say that it is your dance partner,” Thranduil said. “Legolas had an… accident this weekend. He injured his knee and had to have surgery yesterday, which leaves him unable to dance for at least a few months.”_

_“He is all right otherwise?” Sigrid did feel bad for Legolas, but she also felt the panic still rising within her. She couldn’t pull out of this showcase, it was too important._

_“He is,” Thranduil said. “But as I said, he will be unable to dance for at least a few months. There are no other students in your age group that can accomplish the choreography, and any of the senior students are already paired off.”_

_“But I can’t pull out of this showcase, sir,” Sigrid said._

_“You can’t dance alone. That choreography requires two people and it’s too late to adjust it to a solo,” Thranduil said. “I am sorry.” He rose from where he sat, dismissing her as only a man of his standing could._

_“Sir, if I can find someone to be my partner, will you allow me to dance?” Sigrid asked._

_Thranduil turned, his eyebrow arching. “I just said that--,” he started._

_“I know, sir,” Sigrid interrupted. “But my question stands. If I can find someone to be my partner, will you allow me to dance?”_

_Thranduil crossed his arms over his chest, studying the young woman in front of him. He tilted his head. “You have until Wednesday,” he said. “We will meet again at that time, as I have a meeting with Tauriel. Legolas will also be here. If you have found a new partner, you can inform him who will be replacing him due to his carelessness.” This time when he turned, she took her dismissal without question and left his office._

Now she sat, still feeling panic fill her. She had a plan in mind, at least she hoped, but she had no idea if it would even work. She hoped it work, it needed to. Like she told Thranduil, she couldn’t pull out of the showcase. A tear finally slipped down her cheek and she quickly dashed it away. She needed to get home, but she almost couldn’t move. Finally she got to her feet, grabbing her bag. As she walked, she pulled her phone out. Her thumb hesitated over Fíli’s number to call him, but she finally pressed down on the screen before lifting the phone to her ear.

“Hey,” Fíli’s voice said after two rings.

“Hey,” Sigrid said with a rough voice.

“You okay?” he asked. He could tell something was off.

“Not really,” Sigrid admitted. “Today’s your day off, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Fíli said. “Getting ready to head to dinner tonight at Bombur’s with the family and extended family you met on Saturday.”

“Oh…” Well there went her plans for trying to meet him tonight.

“Why?” Fíli asked.

“I… was going to ask if you wanted to have dinner at my place,” Sigrid said. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh,” Fíli said. “Well, you are welcome to join us.”

“Thanks,” Sigrid said. “But I need to make sure I make dinner for the rest of my family.”

“Bring them with,” Fíli said. “I mean, they are welcome to. And it would mean you meeting the rest of my family, might as well meet yours at the same time.”

“Da would insist that we can’t intrude,” Sigrid protested.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t be. It’s a weekly thing we do, since Bombur’s is closed on Mondays. If you want me to be certain, I’ll give Bombur a quick call and get back to you,” he said. “That way you can be sure to tell your Da that it’s all good and on the house. Like I said, it’s a weekly thing we all do.”

“That would be great,” Sigrid said. “It’ll help me convince Da.”

Fíli chuckled. “I get that. Uncle Thorin can be pretty stubborn like that too. Give me about a half hour,” he said. “It’ll probably be sooner, but just in case I can’t get a hold of Bombur right away…”

“Thanks, Fíli,” Sigrid said.

“No problem. Call you in a bit.”

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

She had missed his call while driving home, but Fíli had left a message on her voicemail that Bombur would be pleased for Sigrid and her family to join the rest of the family that night for their weekly get together and had even extended the invitation every week indefinitely. That last part did stun Sigrid a little bit, but it also made her smile. She was looking forward to getting to know the group better. They seemed like good people. She jumped as her father came in the door not too far behind her.

“Da!” she exclaimed. “You are home early, is everything okay?” She moved to take one of the bags he had in his hands from him.

“I went in early today so I could come home early to make dinner for once instead of you,” Bard said, setting things down. “You work too hard, darling.”

Sigrid cringed, earning an arched brow from her father. She shuffled her feet. “So… will you hate me then for saying that we’ve been invited to a dinner get together and that it was offered as a weekly invitation on top of that?”

Bard walked over and set his hands on his daughter’s shoulders. “First of all, I could never hate you,” he said. “Second, dinner get together?”

“I um… I invited Fíli over for dinner tonight,” she admitted. “I need to talk to him about something, but had wanted to make dinner for all of us. He and his family have a big dinner get together at Bombur’s Restaurant and Bar. Apparently it’s a weekly thing they do and Fíli invited us. After he made sure it was really all right with Bombur, because he doesn’t charge anyone, he left me a message saying that not only were we invited tonight but indefinitely.”

Bard leaned back against the counter, eyeing his daughter critically. The corners of his mouth were upturned as he watched her before finally speaking.

“I thought you and Fíli weren’t dating?”

“Da!” Sigrid could feel her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “We aren’t!” She shifted her feet in such an uncharacteristic way that it worried Bard. Finally she looked up.

“Headmaster Greenleaf said that my choreo in the showcase needs to be cut,” she said.

“What?” Bard asked, anger simmering for his daughter. He knew how hard she was working. “Why?”

“Legolas injured his knee this weekend and had surgery yesterday,” Sigrid said. “There’s no one else to be my partner. That’s why I wanted Fíli to come over. I am going to see if I can convince him to be my partner in the showcase.”

“Why wouldn’t he? He’s a student there, isn’t he?” Bard asked. “I mean, doesn’t Thranduil think him capable if you are rehearsing with him?”

“He… um…” Sigrid sighed. “Fíli isn’t a student there. He’s the janitor.”

“Jan… Sigrid!”

“He used to be a student!” Sigrid said quickly. She threw up her hands. “You’ll find out tonight anyway. Fíli has a daughter.” Bard stiffened. _All right, probably not the best way to bring that up, Sigrid._

“It’s a complicated situation, but apparently about a year before Fíli would have graduated, his dad was killed by a drunk driver and his ex-girlfriend found out she was pregnant. After she had Laína, she took off. Fíli’s only really told me about what happened with his dad, but I know his daughter’s mother isn’t involved in his life. Tauriel said that Fíli dropped out to get a job to raise his daughter and help his mom and uncle with his younger brother so he didn’t have to quit school after their dad died. Why he became a janitor at the school I don’t really know, but Tauriel thinks it’s because Headmaster Greenleaf understands about raising a child alone.”

Bard’s stance had only relaxed marginally, watching Sigrid. “Darling, are you sure you want to be involved in a complicated situation like that?” he asked.

“I’m just going to ask him to be my dance partner, Da,” Sigrid said.

“But you’ll still be in his life quite a bit because of rehearsing,” Bard pointed out. “And you… we were invited to this… family get together thing indefinitely. That speaks a bit more than just being a dance partner.”

“I guess maybe we are becoming friends, too,” Sigrid admitted as she moved to the table to start putting groceries away. “And to be honest, Da, you could use some friends too.” She paused to look at him. “His uncle knows you.”

Bard’s forehead puckered into a frown again. “His uncle?”

Sigrid nodded. “Professionally he said his name is Thorin Oakenshield?”

Bard’s eyes widened a bit. “Thorin Oakenshield is Fíli’s uncle?”

“One of them,” Sigrid said. She glanced at her father. “Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all,” Bard said. “He’s a hard ass in business, but he’s a good man.” He watched his language around Bain and Tilda, but considering Sigrid was legally an adult, and in many ways had been an adult in everything but age for years, he held little back in the way he spoke.

“He seemed like it on Saturday when I met him,” Sigrid said. Bard moved to help her put the groceries away.

“You’ve already met his family? Amazing,” Bard teased her.

Sigrid smacked her father’s arm chidingly. “Only his uncle and only because he was at Bombur’s when I got there for rehearsal,” she said.

“You rehearsed at a bar?” Bard questioned, his eyebrow arching.

“There is a room above the _restaurant_ ,” Sigrid emphasized. “Apparently it was the room where Fíli would rehearse when he was in school.”

“I’d like to see this room when we head over there tonight,” Bard said, putting the last of the groceries away.

“So we are going?” Sigrid asked.

“We’re going.”

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Sigrid could already hear the rowdy noises of those assembled in Bombur’s as she approached with the rest of her family. She wondered if she was going to have to dodge food being tossed about this time. Bard walked just past his daughter to get the door for them. She smiled at her father as she stepped into the restaurant, Bain and Tilda just behind her before Bard joined them.

“Oy! We’re cl… Sigrid!” Bofur said, the same odd hat from Saturday perched on his head. “Good to see you again!”

“Hi, Bofur,” she said, smiling. “Plan on tossing anymore eggs about?”

“Not yet,” he said with a cheeky grin. “You and Fíli rehearsin’ tonight?”

“We were invited for--,” Sigrid started but stopped as she heard a crash before a young man with long dark hair ran out of the back kitchens as if hounds were on his heels, but he was laughing as he did so. He also had three cookies in his hands. He ran towards the table where Sigrid saw Dwalin sitting with a man that looked a lot like Fíli and Thorin, as well as a slighter man with unruly brown hair.

“Kíli DaBragi, I told you not to grab those cookies, they are for dessert!” a lovely woman with long dark hair was hurrying out after him. On her hip was a little girl, not quite two years of age, with blonde curls. Sigrid knew immediately that it had to be Laína.

“It was a good deed, Dís,” the man that looked like Fíli called, waving a large hand to the woman.

“Mahal save me from insolent brothers and children,” she breathed out. She bounced the little girl. “Don’t you learn any bad lessons from your Da and uncles, indyo. Grandmama will teach you all you need to know, aye?” The little girl only squealed before reaching her hand out to where the Bowman family were standing.

“Oh!” Dís said as she walked over. “So sorry. You must be the Bowmans…” Her head tilted as she regarded Bard. “I… know you. I think?”

Bard slowly nodded his head. “Yes… you work at Esgaroth General, don’t you?” 

“I do, I’m a nurse there,” she said. “Dís Durinson-DaBragi.”

“Bard Bowman,” he said. “I think you saw to one of my fisherman when he sliced his hand on his filleting knife.”

“Right!” Dís said. “I remember you coming in to handle the workman’s comp paperwork.”

“Yes,” he said with a grin. “These are my children, Sigrid, Bain, and Tilda.”

“So nice to meet you,” Dís said with a smile. She bounced Laína. “This is my precious _indyo_ , Laína.” She turned towards the table where Frerin sat with Bilbo and Dwalin. “Kíli, go get your brother, please. Let him know…”

“No need, Mum,” Fíli said, jogging down the stairs. He walked over, grinning broadly as his daughter squealed happily at her father, babbling baby language at him. He leaned in and gave her noisy kisses on her cheeks before turning to the Bowmans.

“Welcome to Bombur’s,” he said. He extended his hand to Bard. “Fíli.”

“Bard,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

Tilda bound forward, bouncing on her toes. “Are you--.” Her words were cut off by Bard putting his hand over his daughter’s mouth.

“We appreciate you inviting us to dinner,” he said. He wouldn’t allow Tilda to embarrass her sister.

“Our pleasure,” Dís said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Bard followed Dís, drawing Bain and Tilda with him. Fíli didn’t immediately follow his mother and the Bowmans, looking at Sigrid.

“Want to talk?” he asked. Sigrid nodded. He led her over to a table that was out of the way from the rest of the group. He waved a hand to Thorin, who had started to approach. He was thankful that his uncle took note and headed over to greet Bard instead.

“What’s up?” Fíli said once he sat down. He was startled when tears immediately filled Sigrid’s eyes. He immediately reached across to circle her wrist with his hand, brushing his thumb over the wrist bone like he did on Saturday when they talked about her mother. “Hey…”

“Sorry,” Sigrid said, her voice thick, blinking quickly. “I don’t know what…” She cleared her throat. “Headmaster Greenleaf told me that my performance was being pulled out of the showcase.”

Fíli immediately frowned. “Why?” he asked.

“Legolas did something to his knee and had surgery on it,” Sigrid said. “There’s no one else that isn’t already paired up that can do the choreo.”

“Damn,” Fíli said. “So he’s just pulling you?”

“It’s too late to refigure it for a solo,” Sigrid said. “I’ve asked Headmaster Greenleaf if I could find someone if I can still do it.”

Fíli slowly started to nod. Now he understood what she wanted to talk to him about. “And he said?”

“He said if I find someone by Wednesday, I can tell Legolas who will be replacing him,” she said. Sigrid lifted her eyes to look into Fíli’s. “Fíli…”

“Wait,” he said. “Do you really think that Thranduil will let me dance when I am not a student?”

“I am sure he is aware that I must be finding someone that isn’t a student since he already looked for someone to take Legolas’ place amongst the other students,” Sigrid reasoned.

“Hm,” Fíli said. He leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. “How flexible is your schedule at the academy?”

“I have some mandatory classes, but the earliest is late morning, why?” Sigrid asked.

“Well… I’ll be your partner,” Fíli said. He lifted a finger when she started to smile. “On the condition that Thranduil doesn’t protest, I do still have to make a living. I asked about your schedule because I’ll have my own schedule to keep there but we’ll need to find time to rehearse too besides just weekends.”

“Really?” Sigrid finally said. “Fíli, thank you!”

“Don’t thank me quite yet,” he said. “Thranduil could still say no.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Sigrid said, her smile bright. The duo rose and Sigrid impulsively hugged Fíli tight. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Fíli said, his hand smoothing down her back. He could feel eyes on them and knew at least his uncles, mother, and her father were watching them. Pulling back, he tilted his head. “Let’s join everyone.”

Sigrid nodded, stepping out of Fíli’s embrace. She walked with him, smiling softly as Laína wiggled off of Thorin’s lap and ran towards her father. She squealed as Fíli caught her and swung her up into the air before settling her on his hip. 

“I know Mum told you this was her, but I’d like you to officially meet my daughter, Laína,” Fíli said. “Laína, this is Sigrid.”

Laína looked at Sigrid with big, blue eyes; Fíli’s eyes. Sigrid could see so much of Fíli and Dís in the little girl. “Hi Laína,” Sigrid said.

Startling everyone who knew the little girl, who was normally quite bashful and shy when she met strangers, immediately leaned towards Sigrid with her arms outstretched. Sigrid quickly glanced at Fíli. He gave a small nod and Sigrid took the little girl into her arms. Laína immediately reached for the pendant around Sigrid’s neck, taking it between her pudgy fingers to turn it over creating sparkling patterns as the light caught it. She lifted her face and babbled at Sigrid.

“Piddy,” Laína said. “Si’ri.” She gave Sigrid a toothy grin.

Sigrid couldn’t help but smile at the little girl. “Not as pretty as you, little Laína,” she said, bouncing the girl. Her movements earned her a giggle. Dís couldn’t help but smile where she sat beside Bard. She liked this Sigrid. She hadn’t seen Fíli so happy in a really long time and it was thanks to this young woman. She had watched her son practically hold his breath as Sigrid took Laína into her arms, relief washing through him as she accepted the child without issue. Dís knew that should things grow deeper between the two, that Sigrid would accept Laína unconditionally because she was a part of Fíli and that’s all Sigrid needed to know.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

“Nervous?” Fíli asked Sigrid as they walked to Thranduil’s office together.

“A bit,” she admitted. “Are you?”

He tilted his head from side to side. “A little, yeah,” he said. “Mostly I am worried he’s going to throw a fit because you chose a non-student. And worried he’ll think I’ll slack off with work.”

“You would never do that,” Sigrid said. “And he never gave me a criterion of who I should choose.”

“That’s splitting hairs,” Fíli pointed out with a laugh. She wrinkled her nose at him just before she knocked on Thranduil’s office door.

“Enter, Miss Bowman,” Thranduil called.

Sigrid took a deep breath and stepped inside. She noticed that Tauriel was still in the office and wondered if she was too early. Legolas was seated in a chair, his braced leg propped up on another chair. Thranduil looked up from the paper in his hand.

“Ahh goo-- Mister DaBragi?” Thranduil’s forehead puckered in a frown. “Is there something I can do for you? I have a meeting with a couple students.”

“Actually,” Sigrid commented. “He’s here with me.”

“What? Why?” Legolas questioned from where he sat. Tauriel arched an eyebrow at Sigrid.

“Fíli’s agreed to be my partner for the showcase,” Sigrid said.

“ _ **WHAT?!**_ ” Legolas demanded, trying to struggle out of his chair. Tauriel merely walked over and put her finger on his forehead and pushed, making him sit again. “ _He_ can’t be your partner!”

“Why not?” Sigrid asked him. “ _You_ certainly can’t.”

“He’s not even a student here!” Legolas sneered at Fíli. “He’s a drop out.”

“Is this true, Mister DaBragi?” Thranduil asked. “Have you agreed to dance with Miss Bowman?”

“I have,” Fíli said.

“How did you even know he could dance?” Legolas asked. “Not like he looks like he did from school.”

Sigrid sighed heavily, annoyance snapping across her features as she pinned Legolas with a look. “For your information, he helped me during some rehearsal time last week when _you_ were too busy to bother,” she said. “Then he agreed to help me further so that I could get in the rehearsal time I needed because I want to do well in this showcase.”

Legolas’ cheeks flamed as he struggled to straighten. He stopped fussing when his father pinned him with a glare. “He still isn’t a student here,” he protested. “You can’t dance with him!”

“I have to agree with Miss Bowman’s question,” Thranduil said, resting against the edge of his desk. “Why can’t she?”

“He’s not a student here!” Legolas complained.

“But he was,” Tauriel reminded him. “And if memory serves, he was quite an accomplished student when he was here. To be honest, he is probably the best fit to partner with Sigrid since you injured yourself.”

“I’ll dance with her!” Legolas said.

“Enough!” Thranduil thundered. He straightened, studying Sigrid and Fíli. He ignored Sigrid for the moment looking at the blonde he had found to be quite talented. As much as Thranduil had been frustrated that his son had not been the best dancer in his class when Fíli was in attendance, he would not begrudge Fíli for the talent he had. 

“We will need to adjust your janitorial schedule to allow you to rehearse with Miss Bowman,” Thranduil said. He looked at Sigrid. “And we may need to adjust some of your classes to fit in with when Mister DaBragi is available to rehearse. Thankfully your current schedule only has two classes that cannot be adjusted from their current schedule, but your others can as we purposely arranged them as such due to the showcase.”

“Father, you cannot be serious,” Legolas said. “You cannot be willing to go along with this insanity of letting him dance with Sigrid!”

“I most certainly am going to allow it,” Thranduil said. His voice had taken on a cold tone as he looked at Legolas. “You made a poor decision this weekend, forgetting that your legs and your body are both strong and fragile. Because of that poor decision, you injured yourself in such a manner that required you to have surgery. Said surgery has put you out of commission for at least a few months, if not permanently, especially if you do not follow doctor’s orders. Sigrid does not deserve to be penalized because of _your_ stupidity. Fíli DaBragi was an extremely talented dancer while he was here and that sort of talent doesn’t just disappear despite circumstances. He is the best match for her.”

“Father…” Legolas tried again.

“This decision is final,” Thranduil told him. He looked at Fíli once more. “This cannot interfere with your work here, understood?”

“Understood,” Fíli said. 

“Good,” Thranduil said. He waved his hand. “You both may go. I believe you each have some things to take care of before you get back to rehearsing for the showcase.”

Sigrid grinned brightly at Thranduil. “Thank you, headmaster!” Fíli didn’t need to be told twice. He turned to leave Thranduil’s office with Sigrid. He didn’t speak until the door was closed and he had his arms full of excited Sigrid.

“He agreed!” she practically squealed, pulling back to look at Fíli with a huge grin. Her grin was infectious and he had to laugh.

“That he did,” he said. “But he’s right. We both have some things to do before we get down to rehearsing.”

“Why don’t you bring Laína over tonight for dinner and we can discuss our schedule?” Sigrid suggested.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Fíli said. “I’ll text you later.” He hugged her again before heading off to take care of his janitorial duties. He had to admit to himself that his stomach was full of butterflies now. Not just because he could feel himself falling more for Sigrid, especially after seeing her with his daughter, but also because he was being given a second chance to dance again. Even if it was just for one showcase.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panic attacks, almost kisses, and rising feelings. Oh and Kíli meets Tauriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly shorter chapter. Sorry about that. I had a hard time with this chapter for some reason.

“Stop!” Sigrid sighed and pulled away from Fíli with frustration. She walked over and turned the music off. She couldn’t tell what was wrong. They had meshed so well before, but now they seemed to be falling apart. They hadn’t even been rehearsing fully as partners for a week since she got news that Legolas couldn’t do the showcase.

“What is going on?” she asked, running her fingers over her face. “We were doing so well before.”

“It’s the choreography,” Fíli said.

“But we were doing fine with it last week,” Sigrid said.

“Last week you were also still partners with Leggylo,” Fíli pointed out. Sigrid huffed a laugh at the crazy name Fíli used. “But now I’m your partner.”

“Meaning?” Sigrid asked.

“We need to adjust it,” Fíli said, reaching for her notebook.

“What do you mean adjust?” Sigrid asked. She grabbed her water bottle and took a long pull on the liquid.

“Legolas and I had very different styles, mainly because he’s all lanky and well… I’m not,” Fíli said. “We need to adjust the choreography to be more suited for me.”

“We don’t have time!” Sigrid felt panic setting in. The room was closing in on her when she thought of all that needed to be done in order for the choreography to be adjusted for Fíli.

“No, we have plenty of time,” Fíli said. “Trust me, I’ve put together…”

“No,” Sigrid said, shaking her head. Rational thought had fled and she needed to escape. She began stuffing her things into her bag.

“Sigrid, wait,” Fíli said. He quickly set the notebook down, then moved over to the girl’s side and reached for her hands. She jerked away from him and he was concerned by the wild look in her eyes. He held up his hands, refusing to acknowledge the heart break when she grabbed her bag and fled the rehearsal studio.

With a gentle sigh, Fíli picked the notebook up again. He studied the choreography and began to make notes where things needed to change and adjust for his slightly shorter and stronger stature. He’d continue to work on the choreography and give Sigrid time to calm down.

He knew their rehearsals the past week hadn’t been going quite as easily, but he felt like something more was eating at her. She had seemed almost distracted and as each rehearsal seemed to show no improvement, her panic rose. Sighing once more, Fíli got to work modifying the choreography.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Sigrid had kept to herself all weekend, even from her family. She had managed to avoid Tauriel so far. Thankfully she could avoid Fíli today seeing as it was his day off. The day was almost over; she’d have to find a way to make some sort of excuse why she couldn’t go to the weekly dinner with the rest of her family.

“Hey.” Sigrid jumped and turned to look at Fíli. He shifted to lean against the wall, watching her.

“Hey,” she said. “I… I thought today was your--.”

“Normally is,” Fíli interrupted. “But I figured I’d come by to see you, since I knew you thought maybe I wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh…” She blushed, ducking her head.

“You feeling better?” he asked her.

“Better?” Sigrid asked.

“I know you were feeling off last week,” Fíli said. He pushed off the wall and walked over to her. “I was concerned.”

Sigrid had hoped to avoid discussing this with him, but she owed him an explanation. And an apology.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said.

“Sorry?” Fíli asked. “Why do you think you need to be?”

“I overreacted,” Sigrid said.

“A little, but I think I get why,” Fíli said. “You want this showcase to go well…”

“No,” Sigrid said. She winced. “I mean… yes, that’s true, but that’s not why I overreacted.”

Fíli frowned. “It’s not?”

Sigrid crossed her arms over her chest, digging her fingers into her upper arms. Fíli moved closer and covered her hands with his, working his fingers beneath hers to ease the pressure. “Sigrid?”

“I… deal with anxiety sometimes,” Sigrid admitted, her cheeks darkening. “Dance is one of my outlets. I normally don’t have panic attacks, at least not that bad, and not for a long time.”

“That explains it,” Fíli said gently, his fingers rubbing hers. He managed to ease her arms away from her body, getting her to relax.

“It does?” Sigrid asked. “You don’t think I’m weird?”

“Nope,” Fíli said. “And it does explain it. The stress of having to deal with changing partners especially not knowing if that new partner would be approved. Needing to change the choreography to better suit me was the last straw.”

“I shouldn’t have run out on you though,” Sigrid said, letting her fingers flex in his hands as he stood closer to her. She watched their hands, admiring the differences. Every time his thumb brushed over her knuckles, she felt her belly clench in a tingly way.

“Maybe not,” Fíli admitted. “You could have talked to me, but I understand why you didn’t.” He shifted to lift her chin to look into her eyes. “We’re partners, Sigrid. You can tell me anything.”

“You can too,” Sigrid said.

Fíli’s mouth quirked up. “I know. And I will,” he said. He studied her face, the urge to lean in and kiss her slamming into him. He moved slightly closer, knowing that he could just lean closer and…

“Son of a bitch!” Tauriel came storming around the corner. “Sigrid, can I come over to your place… oh hey Fíli.” Her eyebrow arched as Sigrid took a small step back from how close she and Fíli were.

“Hey Tauriel,” Fíli said. “Everything all right?”

“Ugh, no,” Tauriel said. “Legolas has been nothing but a jackass since he was pulled from the showcase for his injury and Sigrid chose you to be her partner.”

“Still?” Sigrid asked. “Sorry, Tauriel.”

“Normally I can deal with his complaints, but he’s weighing on my last nerve,” Tauriel said. She turned her attention to Sigrid. “Do you mind if I come over to your place tonight?”

“Uh…” Sigrid glanced quickly at Fíli. Tauriel was not lost on the look the younger girl gave to the man.

“Sigrid and her family come to a weekly dinner at Bombur’s,” Fíli said. “You are more than welcome to come too.”

“I don’t want to impose…” Tauriel said.

“If Leggs-a-plenty is being that bad, you could do with a night off. Let my brother annoy you instead,” Fíli said with a grin.

“Now that’s just mean,” Sigrid teased. “Besides, Tilda might protest. Tauriel seems Kíli’s type, and Tilda is convinced they are going to get married once she is old enough.”

“Competition,” Fíli said. “Besides, Tauriel won’t give into my brother’s charms that easily. She’s smarter than that.” He winked at both women.

“Good point,” Sigrid said. “It’d be a good show to see him drool.” Fíli laughed.

“I am standing here,” Tauriel commented. She looked at Fíli. “Are you sure that it’s going to be all right?”

“As Bombur would say, the more the merrier,” Fíli said.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Fíli had been right about one thing; Tauriel was definitely Kíli’s type. Ever since he introduced his former dance partner to his brother, he had been smitten. Kíli was sitting at a table with Bofur, Tilda, Nori, Tauriel, and Bifur. While Bofur and Nori regaled Tauriel with stories from Fíli’s and Kíli’s childhoods, Bifur kept Tilda occupied with a puzzle he had made. Tauriel was laughing and listening to the stories intently, while Kíli was either grumbling, interjecting with his own take on events, or simply staring at Tauriel.

Fíli was a bit surprised to note that Tauriel seemed to find Kíli as fascinating as he found her. She was much better at hiding it than Kíli was. He also noted how often she would glance to where Sigrid was sitting as well. Laína hadn’t left Sigrid’s side since the Bowmans had arrived at Bombur’s, and she was now snuggled in Sigrid’s lap half-asleep.

Fíli couldn’t ignore the warmth that had spread through his chest when Laína had brightened when Sigrid arrived with her family and Tauriel, wiggling from Thorin’s lap to toddle over to her. She had simply put her hands in the air and said “Si’ri.” Since then, except for when she was in her high chair to eat her dinner, she remained with Sigrid. He couldn’t fully explain what it was he was feeling, knowing how easily Laína had accepted Sigrid. 

It had been just Laína and the rest of his family for so long; the only real female presence in her life being Dís, that it often made Fíli wonder what it would be like for Laína to have a mother in her life. The thought made him go still, wondering if that is how he was starting to view Sigrid. As someone more than just a temporary dance partner, but someone he could see as a mother to Laína. As someone he could finally trust enough to let his heart open again. 

He felt someone watching him and turned to see Tauriel studying him. He arched a brow at his former partner. He saw her eyes shift to Sigrid and Laína, arching her own brow at him. He gave the smallest lift of a shoulder, indicating he wasn’t sure himself. She only tilted her head, but he knew that she would talk to him at some point about her friend. He only hoped that when they did talk that he would have more of an idea of what he was feeling than he did at the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected accident brings Fíli and Sigrid closer together.

Sigrid fumbled with the grocery bags in her hands as she set them on the kitchen table as she got home after her classes. Bain was already home and began to put the groceries away as Sigrid grabbed her ringing phone. A soft frown formed, not recognizing the number. She almost let it go to voicemail, but something compelled her to answer.

“Hello?” she said.

“Sigrid?” an obviously upset voice said. “This is Dís, Fíli’s mum.”

“Oh of course, Mrs. DaBragi,” she said. “Is everything alright?”

“I was hoping Fíli was with you,” she said. “I’ve been trying to call him, but it keeps going to voicemail.”

“No, I’m home now,” Sigrid said. “But I know I saw him at Mirkwood working. I can run back if you need me to?”

“Could you?” Dís asked. “I hate to ask it of you, but Laína is in the ER.” There was a pause. “Oh never mind, dear. He’s calling now.”

“Of course, I hope she feels better,” Sigrid said, her heart pounding. Dís quickly said goodbye so she could get Fíli’s call. Sigrid ended the call on her end, resting her phone against her lower lip. Worry was gnawing at her belly for the little girl. 

Turning, she quickly grabbed her keys again and her purse. “Bain, there’s a casserole in the refrigerator. Just pop it into the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes,” she said, heading for the door. “Da will be home about 5:30, so maybe pop it in around 5.”

“What’s going on?” Bain asked.

“Laína’s in the hospital,” she said heading for the door. “I just want to go make sure she and Fíli are okay. Can you let Da know?”

“I will,” Bain said. “Text to let us know how she is doing.” With the family dinners they attended at Bombur’s, Bain, Tilda, and Bard had come to really know everyone in attendance and Bain had a fondness for Laína, as they all did.

Sigrid waved her hand as she hurried out of the door to her car. She got in and headed straight for the hospital.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Fíli had never felt his heart pound more than it had when he had gotten his mother’s call about Laína being in the hospital. He was eternally grateful for the fact that Esgaroth General Hospital was less than ten minutes from Mirkwood Academy. By the time he got there, Laína was already in her own room and had been sucking on a popsicle one of the nurses had given her. Seeing his little girl sporting a black eye, a scraped cheek, and a large gauze bandage on her forehead near her hairline made Fíli sick to his stomach. Doctor Elrond Maglorion had assured Dís and Fíli both that Laína was going to be fine. Laína had merely taken a nasty tumble and, unfortunately, had done so near a jagged rock. He did want to keep her over night just to keep an eye on the little girl, in case of concussion as the cut near her hairline had required a couple of stitches.

Fíli was now stretched out in the hospital bed with Laína snuggled close to him. He was going to wake her shortly, as instructed by Elrond and the nurses. Occasionally she whimpered in her sleep, the mild pain medication they had given her wearing off. He hated seeing his little girl so miserable.

A soft knock had him lifting his head, Sigrid standing in the doorway. She offered a small smile and stepped in when he waved his hand to her to enter.

“What are you doing here?” he asked quietly.

Sigrid set her bag down beside the bed before carefully sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. “When your mom couldn’t get a hold of you at first, she called me to see if you were with me,” she said. “She didn’t tell me what happened exactly and I was worried.”

“She was running and fell,” Fíli said. “Still all gangly limbs she hasn’t fully gotten under her yet. Jagged rock broke her fall.”

“Poor baby,” Sigrid said. She looked at him. “How are you doing?”

It was the first time anyone had asked Fíli that. He had been ignoring many of his emotions, but Sigrid’s question slammed into him. He looked at her and felt his face crumbling. Sigrid immediately rose and moved to the side of the hospital bed he was on. Sigrid wrapped her arms around Fíli as he pressed his face into the curve of her neck, his shoulders shaking slightly. He was trying to release his fear and emotions without waking Laína as she lay against him.

Sigrid simply held Fíli to her, running her fingers through his hair soothingly. It was one of the few times she had seen him with his hair completely unbound. She didn’t speak, just holding him close.

“Fee?” Fíli lifted his head from Sigrid’s shoulder to see Kíli and Thorin standing in the doorway.

“We can sit with Laína if you need…” Kíli had a worried expression on his face as his words trailed off.

“No, it’s all--,” Fíli started.

“Go,” Thorin said in a commanding voice, walking over to his nephew. “Take a walk with Sigrid, get some air. You don’t want Laína to see you upset. Kíli and I will sit with her in case she wakes up. I believe we have to wake her soon anyway?”

Fíli rubbed his hand over his face before nodding. “Yeah, scheduled wake up is in about fifteen minutes,” he said. “Are you sure?”

“Go,” Thorin said again. “I did the same to your mother and father when you took a similar tumble at this age.” He gave his nephew a warm smile. “Like father, like daughter.”

Sigrid slipped her arm through Fíli’s and led him out of his daughter’s room. They were silent as they walked outside. The sun had gone down and a light breeze was blowing through. It took a few moments before Fíli could find the words to speak.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” he admitted. Sigrid glanced at him. “To walk in and see her like that.”

“But she’s going to be okay,” Sigrid said, squeezing his arm. “It’s natural for a parent to worry about their child in a state like that. Da was the same when it was us kids.”

“I just worry that Laína will be like Kíli and I were,” he said. “We always were getting into trouble.”

“She might,” Sigrid said. “But it won’t mean you are a bad parent.” He glanced at her. She had voiced the very concerns running through his head. “Kids will be kids, but it is their parents lot in life to worry about them every step of the way.”

“So says the surrogate mom to her siblings?” Fíli asked, smiling gently.

She smiled, nudging his shoulder. “You’ve been preparing for days like this since you became a big brother yourself,” she admitted.

Fíli chuckled, then sobered. “It just feels so different,” he said. “More intense.”

“Of course it does,” Sigrid reasoned. “While you worried about Kíli, you were right there with him getting into those scrapes. With Laína, she’s your baby. You want to protect her from every harsh thing in the world.”

“Including not having a mum,” Fíli said softly.

“She has you,” Sigrid said. “And Kíli, your mum, your uncles, the rest of your extended family.” She licked her lips. “And she has me.”

Fíli stopped, turning to face Sigrid. “You?” he asked, his heart slamming against his breastbone.

Sigrid nodded. “Me,” she said. “I care about you both, Fíli. You can both count on me.”

Fíli drew her into his arms, hugging her close. He couldn’t put into words what her words meant to him or how he felt when he saw her step into Laínas hospital room. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. Sigrid tightened her hold on him. Fíli drew back, staring into her eyes. The need he was so often starting to feel around her, to kiss her, thrummed through him. He threw caution to the wind and leaned in, fully expecting her to pull away from him. He was pleasantly surprised when his lips found hers. Instead of pulling away, Sigrid’s lips parted to allow his tongue entry as it pressed against the seam of her lips.

Time seemed to stop for them as they slowly explored one another through the kiss. Fíli’s hand came up to cup her cheek, his fingers sliding back into her hair some. Sigrid’s hands rested at his waist, leaning slightly into his chest as she returned the kiss, giving as much as she was taking. Only the need for air pulled them apart. Fíli rested his forehead against Sigrid’s, pulling air into his lungs. He felt so many emotions running through him at that moment that he was at a loss for words.

Sigrid felt much of the same. She hadn’t expected the kiss, but she didn’t regret it in the least. The feel of Fíli’s fingers in her hair kept creating tingles down her spine. Her fingers flexed at his waist. Fíli drew his head back, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Let’s head back to Laína,” he said softly. Sigrid could only nod. She thought she would feel empty when he stepped away, but he only stepped far enough away to turn towards the hospital with her. He pulled her arm to link with his again, drawing her even closer as they walked. Whatever was changing between them they would need to discuss, but for now they would simply bask in the shared moment and see to the little girl they both loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended for more to happen in this chapter, but I decided that where I stopped was a good stopping point for this chapter. There will be some discussions and more dancing in the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas pulls a real dick move that leads to some insight into his past, especially his relationship with his father. Sigrid and Fíli confess something to one another as Fíli reveals even more about *his* past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was not at all what I intended originally, but the muses wanted to go in this direction and I've learned to never deny my muses what they want because they know better than I do most of the time.

Sigrid’s mind wouldn’t stop replaying the kiss she had shared with Fíli over and over again. They hadn’t talked about it, though they had spent a lot of time together the past couple days as Fíli took care of Laína, who was no worse for wear after her tumble. The recuperative powers of children, Dís and Bard had both said with knowing smiles to one another. That was a situation that she had found herself wondering about as well, when she wasn’t focused on what was going on with herself and Fíli.

“Oh!” she said as she stopped short, coming around the corner and almost colliding with Legolas. “Sorry!”

“Was looking for you,” was all the blonde said, leaning on his crutches.

“Not that hard to find,” Sigrid said. 

“Look, Sigrid,” Legolas said, pushing off on his crutches to walk with her. “I really want you to rethink this decision of dancing with DaBragi.”

“Why?” Sigrid asked. “You can’t dance, and I am not giving up this showcase.” She glanced at him. “Fíli and I work well together.”

“Oh I bet you do,” Legolas said with disdain. Sigrid stopped, looking up at him.

“What is **that** supposed to mean?” she demanded.

“DaBragi has always _worked_ well with his partners, just ask Tauriel,” Legolas said with a smirk. “It never fails for a male dancer to dance well with his female partner when it’s not just stage dancing they are--.” The sharp sting across Legolas’ face stopped his words. Without thinking, Legolas returned the slap. The flat of his palm struck Sigrid hard across the cheek, earning a gasp from the girl.

“ ** _Legolas_**!” Thranduil bellowed. He and Tauriel turned the corner, having heard part of the conversation and Sigrid’s slap, and witnessed Legolas striking Sigrid in return. Tauriel hurried to Sigrid’s side, looking at her face and noting the bruise that was already forming and the split in her lip from where it had apparently caught on her teeth.

Legolas turned towards his father. “My office,” Thranduil growled. “Both of you.” Sigrid was silent as she let Tauriel assist her, the older girl taking her things and hiding her from any prying eyes. It was going to be hard for her to hide the bruise or the cut lip, but she didn’t need to be questioned now.

Once in Thranduil’s office, he spun to Sigrid and Legolas. “What in the _hell_ is wrong with you two?” he hissed. “Fighting is not allowed in this school!”

“I’m sorry,” Sigrid murmured.

“You should be,” Legolas snapped.

“Legolas, I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut,” Thranduil said all too calmly. “As it stands I am suspending you for the rest of the year.”

“ _What?!_ ” Legolas bellowed. “She struck me first!”

“And because of that,” Thranduil started. Sigrid stiffened, thinking she would get the same punishment. “She will be suspended for the rest of the week. And when I mean suspended, Miss Bowman, I mean no rehearsing for the showcase either.”

“A week?!” Legolas said. “That’s it! She hit me, Father!”

Thranduil surged forward, his eyes flashing in anger as he leaned on his desk. “And I know Miss Bowman well enough to know that she would not lash out in such a way unless provoked,” he said. “And considering I partially heard what you said to her and implied about herself and Mister DaBragi, I do not blame her for lashing out.”

Thranduil straightened. “Miss Bowman, your punishment stands,” he said. “Suspension for the rest of the week, no showcase rehearsal at all. Even off school grounds.” He looked at her. “That particular part is going to be on the honor system, and if I have to give extra duty to Mister DaBragi to see to it, I will.”

“That won’t be necessary, sir,” Sigrid whispered.

“Tauriel is probably still outside waiting, let her take you to the nurse to see to that lip,” Thranduil said. “If you choose to press charges for assault, I do not blame you.”

“Father!” Legolas said. Thranduil gave him a slashing look that had him shrinking back. He turned his attentions back to Sigrid.

“You may go,” he said. She nodded and turned, leaving his office. Thranduil waited until the door was closed before leveling cold eyes on his son.

“If not for the message it would give, I would beat you myself,” he growled. “What the hell were you thinking, striking her?!”

“She hit--,” Legolas started.

“I don’t give a damn!” Thranduil roared. “You deserved the slap for what you said and implied about her and Fíli, as well as Fíli’s actions towards his partners.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?!” Legolas yelled back.

“No, it’s not,” Thranduil said. “And you know it’s not. Just because you didn’t get what you want does not mean you have the right to defame Fíli’s name. I taught you better than that.”

“Taught?” Legolas said. “You didn’t teach me shit, _Father_. You’ve done nothing but resent me since my birth!”

Thranduil’s face cooled. “I may not be the most demonstrative of fathers,” he said. “But I have never resented your birth or you as a whole.”

“Right,” Legolas said. “Because you don’t resent giving up your promising dance career to care for me after Mum got pregnant. Like you don’t see yourself in DaBragi because he gave up _his_ career because he got someone knocked up.”

Thranduil came around his desk and fisted his hands in his son’s shirt in an uncharacteristic show of aggression. “I am tired of this grudge you have against Fíli,” he said. “And using it as some sort of outlet for whatever hatred you have towards me.” He released Legolas.

“The only reason your mother and I married was for you, that is true, but it is not because we didn’t love you or each other,” Thranduil said. “Neither of us truly believed people needed to be married to prove their love for one another or to have a family. There were necessary legal reasons for why we became husband and wife instead of just domestic partners, and it was all to ensure the best for *you* when it came to insurance. And unbeknownst to us at the time, it would mean the best for your mother when she fell ill.”

Thranduil tucked his hands behind his back. “My dance career was not given up for you, nor was your mother’s. At least not in the way you think,” he said. “My dance career ended because of a stupid mistake that injured my knee in such a way that I would never dance professionally again. Did it never cross your mind to question why I don’t teach more often or why I tend to observe as I teach and rarely show more complicated moves or that I do not do choreography?”

Legolas shook his head. Thranduil hummed slightly in a way that showed he assumed as much about his son.

“Your mother returned to dancing when you were a baby for a time,” Thranduil said. “But the passion she once had was gone. Replaced by another that was much nearer and dearer to her heart.” He stared at Legolas. “Being home with you and raising her precious son.”

Legolas looked dumbstruck. He moved his mouth a moment before trying to speak. “Father…”

“You are dismissed, Legolas,” Thranduil said. “I expect you to write a formal apology to Sigrid for what you did. And should she decide to press charges, I will not come to your rescue for what you did. Your words and your actions were uncalled for. I will tell you this only once. Unless a woman is attacking you continuously and you need to attempt to restrain her to keep her from doing so, you _never_ strike a woman. I am sure that her slap stung your cheek and left a red imprint, but your slap will leave its mark for days to come.”

“So you defend her?” Legolas asked, his anger resurfacing.

“I defend her in terms of you striking her,” Thranduil said. “I do not defend her actions against you in her anger. You were both in the wrong, however, you were more wrong than she was. Now.” He moved around his desk again and looked at his son. “Go. Home.” He took his seat, dismissing his son.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

Fíli knocked on the door of the townhouse. He felt his heart pound, worry spreading through every core of his being after Tauriel had tracked him down and told him to come to her place immediately after his shift was done at Mirkwood. The look on her face had been grim and he was worried something had happened to Sigrid. 

Tauriel opened the door and gave him a wan smile. “Come in,” she said. She stepped aside to let Fíli into the home. He knew that Tauriel had once lived with Thranduil and Legolas, but had recently moved out and gotten her own place.

“Sigrid’s up in the spare room,” Tauriel said. “Up the stairs, second door on the left.”

“Is she okay?” Fíli asked. He paled when Tauriel hesitated.

“It’s better if you talk to her than to hear it from me,” Tauriel said.

He turned and took the stairs two at a time. He walked to the door that Tauriel had indicated, tapping gently before pushing it open and stepping in. Sigrid was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest with her arms around them and her head hidden by her arms.

“Sigrid?” Fíli questioned. He saw red when she lifted her face to him and he saw the split lip and bruise forming. He hurried over to her. “What happened? Who did this?”

“It’s complicated,” Sigrid said, her voice quieter than normal. “And it’s my fault.”

Fíli had to reign in his own temper so he wouldn’t startle her. He didn’t think it could possibly be Bard’s doing, otherwise he would’ve seen something sooner. Slipping his large hand around her ankle, he gently eased onto the bed in front of her.

“Talk to me,” he said.

Sigrid looked at him more, a tear slipping onto her cheek. “It was Legolas,” she said. She immediately grabbed his wrist when he shot back up. “Don’t!”

“That son of a bitch _hit_ you, Sigrid!” Fíli said hotly.

“Please,” Sigrid said. “Sit down. Let me tell you what happened.”

Fíli gingerly sat again. “I doubt much you will say will keep me from ripping him from throat to asshole,” he grumbled.

“I don’t want him to have a reason to press charges against you either,” Sigrid said. “And anything I say is not going to defend what he did because no matter what happened, he never should have hit me back.”

“Back?”

“Legolas was… being a jerk,” Sigrid said. “He made a rather crude comment and I got so angry I slapped him. Then he slapped me back.”

Fíli growled and took a deep breath. “What in the hell did he say that made you slap him?” he asked.

Sigrid blushed. “He… um,” she started.

“Let me guess,” Fíli said. “He implied I sleep with all my partners?”

Sigrid nodded, swallowing. “Including Tauriel,” she said.

“So he implied that you and I are sleeping together too?” Fíli said. Sigrid nodded. “I’ve only ever slept with one of my dance partners.”

Sigrid felt jealousy slam into her. He didn’t deny about Tauriel. She looked at the tops of her knees, realizing that despite the connection they seemed to have and the kiss they shared, there was no way she could ever compete with Tauriel. She felt Fíli slip his finger under her chin and lift her face to his.

“Not Tauriel,” he said gently.

“Oh…” Sigrid bit her lip then winced as she caught the tender flesh. “It’s your bus…”

“It was Dorku,” Fíli said. “Laína’s mother.” Sigrid remembered the image on the wall of graduates of the dark haired dancer with a too-severe face and dark eyes. Nothing about the woman would ever indicate she had given birth to such a sweet child as Laína.

“She was the first person I ever thought I could see myself spending the rest of my life with,” Fíli said. “But she had big dreams of being a famous dancer. She was a year ahead of me at Mirkwood. Legolas’ grudge against me became combustible because he was in love with her as well and she chose me, not only as someone to be with, but as her dancer partner too. Only I never intended for us to be more than just dance partners.”

“But you were,” Sigrid said.

Fíli nodded. “My intent was always to be completely professional with all of my partners, but Dorku had a way about her,” he said. “My uncle said that some women are just like that. Men are drawn to them like moths to a flame. He was right, that’s exactly how she was. I tried so hard not to fall for her, but I did.” He reached for Sigrid’s hand, rubbing her knuckles. “It was such a whirlwind. I wasn’t a virgin when I got with her, but it was the longest and most intimate relationship I had had up to that point. Then the night she graduated, she told me she was leaving to join a dance company. No tears, no we’ll keep in touch, just so long.”

“And then?” Sigrid asked.

“My father’s accident happened,” Fíli said. “I was on the fence if I was going to leave Mirkwood to help Mum, though she and Uncle Thorin insisted I should remain. Then Dorku came back into my life and told me she was pregnant.” He looked at Sigrid’s hand in his. “We tried to make it work, but she had no desire to be tied down. As soon as Laína was born, she signed custody papers giving up her parental rights and went right back to dancing.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sigrid said quietly.

“I heard she tried to get with Legolas when she was back,” Fíli said. “But Thranduil must’ve done something to keep her away from Legolas, because I don’t think Legolas knows that Dorku is Laína’s mother.”

“She’s no mother,” Sigrid said with a dark tone. “A true mother would not have given up that beautiful little girl.”

Fíli looked at her. He was quiet a moment before speaking. “When Laína was born and Dorku left, I knew life would never be the same,” he said. “I had regretted, briefly, giving up Mirkwood and the dream I had. Until I held my daughter and I knew that I had made the right decision to give her the best life I could, but it meant guarding my heart.”

“I get it,” Sigrid said, giving him a sad smile. “You don’t have time to date anyone.”

“You don’t get it,” Fíli said gently. He shifted closer to her, linking his fingers with hers. “The moment I met you, I felt… something. A connection. As I got to know you, it dawned on me that maybe it had to do with the similarities we shared. Losing a parent, taking care of our families.”

He looked at their hands, stroking her knuckles with his thick thumb. “I felt you getting under my skin slowly but surely. Family dinner nights meant getting to see you with Laína and it’s been obvious how much you adore her. I know she adores you,” he said. He looked into her eyes. “But I realized I had fallen in love with you when you showed up that night at the hospital. You had no reason to do so, but you came to make sure Laína was alright and you were the only person to ask if I was okay. Your presence… it made me feel whole again.”

“Fíli…” Sigrid whispered.

“I know we are both young,” Fíli said. “But my daughter adores you and so do I.”

Sigrid scooted closer to him, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “I love you, Fíli,” she said quietly. “You and Laína.”

Fíli slowly grinned. “Really?” he asked.

Sigrid laughed lightly. “Really,” she said. Fíli’s grin widened and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Sigrid returned the kiss before pulling back. “Ow.”

Fíli’s features darkened some. He pressed his forehead against Sigrid’s. “That’s something we’ll have to talk to your father about.”

“Later,” Sigrid said. “I just want to spend time with you now.”

“No arguments here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I am not a Legolas hater, I actually like him for the most part, but he's very much the archetype of the asshole ex-boyfriend/partner in this love story, so he's being more like the dick Thranduil was in the movies. On the flip side of this, I've made Thranduil much more tolerant.
> 
> \- I don't condone violence by any stretch, which is why I had that Thranduil did punish Sigrid for initially slapping Legolas. As justified as she may have been, she didn't have any right to strike him. That being said, Legolas REALLY had no right to hit her back. I also had Thranduil punish Sigrid because I am a firm believer that a man should never strike a woman, no matter the reason- I also believe that Sigrid was very much in the wrong for giving into the desire to slap Legolas for what he said.
> 
> \- This chapter was getting quite long, so the next chapter will fall directly after this one probably because Sigrid still has to tell Fíli about her suspension. She also has to break it to her father, and when she and Fíli head to her place to tell her father, they discover a new pairing that will be a background pairing to this story to join Kiliel as another background pairing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fíli and Sigrid head to talk to Bard to tell him about what happened with Legolas only to be shocked. And Fíli is given an offer that he never expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. Between a crazy work schedule, rehearsals for the PA Ren Faire starting up for me, plus a case of writer's block hitting me, it took awhile for me to get this done. Believe it or not, the first half of the chapter was the hardest to write. Oh yes, and new pairing introduced. Surprise! There is also implication in the first part of the chapter that English is not the Durinson family's original language.
> 
> I've also updated the tags of the story to include all relationships and characters involved. Fíli/Sigrid will remain the primary focus, but there will be further mentions of the other relationships as it progresses.

Sigrid tilted her head as she and Fíli walked up the path to her house. She saw light flickering as if the candles were lit in the house, but she knew that Tilda and Bain were both staying at their two friends’ houses that night, and she had told her father she would be staying at Tauriel’s. Maybe he hadn’t been feeling well. She unlocked the door to step inside.

Fíli had slowed his steps as he glanced around and saw a car he wasn’t expecting. As Sigrid did at the house, he tilted his head, recognizing his mother’s car.

“Odd…” He murmured. “She said she had a date to--.” A startled yelp from inside the house from Sigrid had Fíli running into the house. He skidded to a stop beside Sigrid who had her hand over her mouth and her head turned away from Bard and Dís to give the pair privacy.

Fíli’s eyebrow slowly arched up to his hairline as he watched his mother pulling a blouse on over a bra he really didn’t need to know his mother wore. Beside her, Bard was shirtless and looking around their feet, obviously searching for his shirt.

“I thought you were staying at Tauriel’s,” Bard was saying. His dark hair flew up as he ducked down behind Dís. When he rose, he had his shirt in hand and was pulling it on over his head. He tugged it into place before facing the younger couple. His eyes immediately narrowed when Sigrid faced him, lowering her hand.

“What happened?” he demanded, moving over to his daughter’s side.

“It’s complicated,” Sigrid said. “And why Fíli and I are here. Wanted to come tell you.” She put a stilling hand on her father’s arm when he turned hard eyes to Fíli. 

“Come sit,” Dís said, having finished buttoning her blouse. She smacked Bard’s arm for the look he gave to her son, earning a remorseful look from the man. “As your father asked, what happened?”

“I… well,” Sigrid said, wincing a little as Dís checked the split lip. “Legolas hit me.”

“He **_what?!_** ” Bard all but roared.

“After I hit him!” Sigrid said quickly. She didn’t like the look that Bard and Fíli exchanged with one another. She pointed at them both. “No. You will do nothing about this. It’s been handled and I will not press charges against him because he has a right to do so against me.”

“Sig--,” Bard started.

“No,” Sigrid said firmly. “Da, this is my own situation.”

“Your… Sigrid he _hit_ you!” Bard said, outraged.

“I know what he did,” Sigrid said. “I’m not going to go into details of what happened, but no matter how mad he made me I never should have hit him either, or first. The point is, Headmaster Greenleaf took care of our punishment. Legolas has been suspended for the rest of the year. I was suspended for the rest of the week and I am not allowed to rehearse during that time.” She glanced at Fíli. “That’s what I needed to tell you. Headmaster Greenleaf is using the honor system and said he’d give you extra duties if he had to.”

“I think we can take the time off,” Fíli said. “Maybe we can just relax and do things together that do not involve dance.” He looked at his mother with a twinkle in his eye. “Maybe we can encourage you and Bard to take a weekend away together so you aren’t interrupted again.”

Dís blushed prettily, glaring at her son. “Fíli Thráin DaBragi!”

Fíli grinned and walked over, kissing his mother’s cheek, earning a swat. “I just want you happy, Amad,” he whispered in their common tongue. Dís gave her son a soft look that held a hint of relief. 

“Fíli has a good idea,” Sigrid pointed out. She gave her father a pointed look when he was about to protest. “Da, I am over eighteen. I can see to Bain and Tilda while you are away. And Fíli will be with me.”

“Not instilling a lot of faith right now, Sig,” Bard said.

Sigrid rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Da,” she said. “First off, Fíli and are both adults. Second, if we really wanted to have sex, we’d find a way besides using the excuse of you being gone for the weekend.”

“And besides,” Fíli said. “I’m effectively giving you carte blanche to have sex with my mother by encouraging you to take a weekend away with her.”

“Fíli!” Dís said, her cheeks burning bright red. “You are showing where Kíli gets some of his blunt crudeness from.”

“That would be my uncles,” Fíli said. He tilted his head. “Do Uncle Thorin and Uncle Frerin know about you two?”

Bard arched an eyebrow, looking at Dís. “Do I have to expect being confronted by your big brothers and getting a ‘you hurt our sister, we hurt you’ talk?”

“That will more likely come from Bilbo, to be honest,” Fíli said. “Ever since he and Uncle Frerin got engaged, he’s been quite protective of the rest of the family.”

“Baggins by birth, Durinson by injection,” Dís said without thought. She blushed when she saw both Bard and Fíli raise their eyebrows as Sigrid laughed.

“And you say your uncles gave you and your brother their blunt crudeness?” Bard asked Fíli.

“Well… more from them,” Fíli said with a grin. “Mum lets loose with some pretty good one-liners every once in awhile.”

“I’ve been surrounded by so much testosterone all my life, you are lucky I’m not worse,” she quipped to Bard. “Thank Mahal you have daughters I can bond with and my first grandbaby was a girl. I don’t feel quite as outnumbered anymore.”

“You could still have a daughter,” Sigrid pointed out. “Especially if you and Da marry. It’s obvious girl genes run in his family since he had two already.” She grinned wider when her father and Dís both blushed.

“Cart before the horse, darling,” Bard murmured, his cheeks an interesting shade of red. “Give us some time to date, aye?”

“A little sister younger than their niece,” Fíli said, tilting his head. “Not out of the question.”

“Would you two stop,” Dís said. She pressed her cool palms to her hot cheeks. “You act as if we will be marrying next week.”

Sigrid reached up and took Dís hand, squeezing it. “It’s just our way, at least my way, of letting you know that I am happy for you both,” she said. She reached forward and hugged Dís. “I’d be honored to have you as a mother.” She whispered into Dís ear.

Tears clogged Dís throat. She stroked Sigrid’s back. “Perhaps, darling, it will be as Fíli’s wife one day,” she whispered back.

It was Sigrid’s turn to blush as she pulled back. “Perhaps,” she whispered. “Perhaps I will be doubly blessed to have you as stepmother and mother-in-law. You make Da happy and he makes you happy. I can see it and realize I have been seeing it when we meet every week for family dinner.”

Dís rested her forehead against Sigrid’s. “So we have your blessing?” she whispered.

“Very much so.”

The women spoke in hushed tones, the world narrowing down to just them. Fíli and Bard exchanged looks, wondering what had caused Sigrid’s blush and what was transpiring between the women. As each looked at the other, they gave appraising looks. Bard had noticed from the moment that Fíli and Sigrid were together that they were a good match. Now he could see how much the man loved his daughter. 

Fíli, in his own mind, was beginning to see what had been building right under his nose during family dinners. How Bard had always been attentive to Dís and how her face lit up whenever the man walked into the room. He could see a love building between his mother and his girlfriend’s father. He blinked, realizing that he had called her his girlfriend for the first time in his head. She was more than that though, she was more than just a girlfriend. She truly had become his partner, the romantic side of their relationship only adding to what they already had. He couldn’t imagine looking to the future without her. He started to wonder if perhaps this is what Bard was starting to feel for his mother. Realization struck him that he didn’t mind. His mother deserved to be happy and find love again. He couldn’t think of a better man than Bard to find just that.

“So a weekend away, huh?” Dís said, breaking into the two men’s thoughts. “That does sound nice.”

Bard smiled a bit. “You are really okay with our children having a weekend without us?” he asked.

“As they both pointed out, they are legally adults. Both are very responsible as well,” Dís said. “And I can’t think of anyone better to watch your younger kids.” She rose and walked over to Bard. “Besides we could always ask Thorin to check in on them.”

Bard put his arms around Dís. “Are you ready for your brother to know about us?”

“Are you?” Dís shot back. Bard merely grinned, lowering his head to kiss her.

Fíli made a noise that was almost a squeak. “All right, as much as I am happy for you, Mum, this is just a little weird for me,” he said, reaching for Sigrid’s hand. “I’m going to take Sigrid back to Tauriel’s, you two get back to your date, then I will get home to Laína.”

“Get used to it, my little lion!” Dís called after Fíli as he and Sigrid quickly left the house.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

“Mr. DaBragi, may I speak with you?” Fíli stood straight from where he was bent over to fill the supplies he needed to see Thranduil standing in the doorway to the janitor closet.

“Of course,” he said. He followed the older man to his office. Curiosity and a small bit of dread gnawed at his belly. He had never really been one to slack off and he hadn’t, but Thranduil was often unpredictable in his expectations. With the added pressure of assisting Sigrid with the showcase and now her suspension, he didn’t want there to be reason for Thranduil to change his mind about Fíli’s inclusion.

“Please have a seat,” Thranduil said once they entered his office. Fíli walked over to a seat and sat down, trying to not let his nerves show in his movements.

“I am sure you and Miss Bowman have been keeping to the honor system of not rehearsing while she is suspended,” Thranduil said as he took a seat.

“We have, sir,” Fíli said.

“Good,” Thranduil said. “Though that is not why I’ve asked you here.”

“I admit I am wondering, sir,” Fíli said.

“I have been thinking a lot about your situation,” Thranduil said. “You were a very promising dancer while here that ended up in a very tricky situation with losing your father and having a child of your own to suddenly care for. It left you making a decision that was in the best interest of your daughter, but left you with leaving behind a potential career that you could thrive in.”

Fíli shifted a bit uncomfortably as Thranduil spoke. “I do not regret--,” he started.

“And I am not saying you do,” Thranduil interrupted. “But it’s a shame to me that talent such as yours does not have room to grow and thrive. At least without something to intervene. Miss Bowman requesting you as her partner has made me think a lot more about yourself and others who may be in similar situations that cause them to have to quit before they can achieve their potential or maybe can not even seek it out to begin with.”

“I… don’t understand,” Fíli said.

“I would like you to reconsider giving up your dance career and rejoin Mirkwood,” Thranduil said.

Fíli blinked, stunned into momentary silence before he shook his head. “I… I can’t, sir,” he said. “I need to be able to support my daughter.”

“For which I understand,” Thranduil said. “I propose you be one of the first students of a student worker program I wish to launch here at Mirkwood.”

Fíli’s heart started to pound. “I… I don’t… what?”he said.

Thranduil chuckled a little at the younger man’s confusion. “You would be reinstated as a student,” he said. “You only had a year left to complete your education. In your case, I would also offer you a job as a teacher’s aide with a salary comparable to that of your janitor’s salary. You’ll be working twice as hard because you will not only need to worry about your own classes, but those you would be assisting with.”

“Teacher’s aide?” Fíli said, his voice rough.

“Yes,” Thranduil said. “Each student worker’s position would be a case by case basis, but considering your already extensive training, and talent, teacher’s aide is a perfect fit for you in my opinion. After your official graduation, I’d like you to be a part of the professional troupe until such a time as you are ready, if you ever are, to take on a more formal teaching role at the academy. And… well it is obvious how much you care for Miss Bowman. That time would allow for her own studies to be done and no rumors to follow either of you about teachers and students fraternizing.”

“What of teacher’s aides and students?” Fíli had to ask.

“Technically you would still be a student while also a teacher’s aide,” Thranduil said. “And I can arrange that your schedule as an aide would have you working primarily with first and second year students, which means you would never be in a class teaching Miss Bowman. If anything, you two would work side by side as equals.”

“And the showcase?” he had to ask. While he would love to take advantage of this for his own future and Laína’s future, he needed to also consider Sigrid. Even if they were strictly friends now, she had a right to perform in the showcase for her own career. However, he wanted to consider her as a part of his and Laína’s future as well. Besides the showcase, pursuing his love of dance would affect Sigrid just as much as his daughter.

“This opportunity would actually afford you the ability to rehearse more for it once Miss Bowman’s suspension is over,” Thranduil said. “And you had an art for choreography. You could create a solo for yourself and for Miss Bowman, or another duet, for the spring showcase.”

Fíli was silent, his mind whirling. He wanted to leap at the chance, but something was holding him back. It hit him that he couldn’t make this decision on his own. He needed input from his family. And from Sigrid.

“Sir… I appreciate the offer,” Fíli said. “And believe me when I say I want to say yes immediately, but I can not jump into a decision lightly. Do you mind if I take a couple days to mull it over and discuss it with my family?”

Thranduil offered him a smile. “To be quite frank, Mr. DaBragi, I would think you a bit too impulsive if you accepted immediately without discussing it with family first,” he said. He rose from his seat. “In the meantime, I will draw up a formal agreement for you to review. I’ll have it emailed to you before you leave today so that you can have it with you as you discuss it.”

Fíli took his cues and rose. He offered his hand to Thranduil. “Thank you, sir,” he said. “This… really means a lot.”

Thranduil shook his hand. “There is no need to thank me,” he said. “If I had been more cognizant of all of my students, I would have thought of such a solution before you had to quit,” he said.

“Everything seems to happen for a reason, sir,” Fíli said. “If things hadn’t happened how they had, I wouldn’t have been able to assist Sigrid with the showcase.” And he never would have fallen in love with her.

“Very true,” Thranduil said. “I look forward to hearing your decision.” He released Fíli’s hand, letting the younger man leave his office.

Fíli’s head was in a whirl as he left. He had a mixture of giddiness and disbelief rolling through him at that moment. Despite showing a more put together demeanour so as not to alert anyone to what was going on, Fíli wanted to kick up his heels at the mere chance he was being given. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get through the rest of the day before he could race home to tell everyone and figure out where to go next.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dís and Bard are discovered. Fíli tells his family about Thranduil's offer and makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a shorter chapter. Just trying to get back into the swing of writing again after a massive case of writer's block. Hopefully getting past this chapter will help some.

Fíli was still in a bit of a daze as he headed to Bombur’s for family dinner night. He never imagined getting such an offer to return to his dance career. He was immediately brought out of his daze as he entered the restaurant and heard his uncle’s voice raised. Yet it wasn’t Thorin’s voice. Furrowing his brow, he pushed the door wider to step in and saw Dís standing in front of Bard, Thorin standing off to the side with his arms crossed. He had a small frown, but it was Frerin who was wheeling himself closer to Dís and Bard. 

“Who do you think you are?” Frerin demanded. “That’s my sister you were pawing!”

“Frer,” Bilbo attempted to say, resting a hand on his fiance’s shoulder.

“In case you’ve forgotten, brother,” Dís said. “I am a grown woman with two adult sons. I am hardly a blushing virgin and I can kiss whomever I damn well choose!”

“Ki.. his hand was up your shirt!” Frerin snapped. Fíli’s eyebrow arched at that one. Since discovering his mother and Bard were dating, he knew they had been continuously discreet. It seemed odd for either to allow such displays to be caught. 

“It was not!” Dís said. “And even if it was, I can choose who I want to date as well.”

“Then why keep it a secret?” Frerin asked. “Because we wouldn’t approve?”

“We do not need your approval,” Bard said, finding his voice as he gazed hotly at Frerin.

“We’re her family,” Frerin said. “Do your children even know? Especially Fíli and Sigrid? Can’t deny what’s going on between them. Don’t you think they would be uncomfortable with their respective parents… doing whatever it was you were doing?” Dís looked ready to strike her brother.

“They are dating,” Fíli said. Frerin blinked, turning to see his nephew walking towards them.

“And we are fine with them dating,” Sigrid said, having emerged from the rooms upstairs where she and Fíli often rehearse. “We’ve known for a little bit now.”

Frerin looked over at Kíli, who looked surprised. He pointed to his younger nephew. “He didn’t know!” he exclaimed. “I bet Bard’s younger kids didn’t know!”

“Only Fíli and I knew,” Sigrid said. “It was Da and Dís’ news to share when they were ready.” She emphasized about them being ready, giving Frerin a stern look.

“We’re her family!” Frerin said, still indignant.

“Love,” Bilbo said gently, putting his hand on his shoulder. “How long did we keep our relationship to ourselves before we told our families?” Frerin opened his mouth before his jaw clicked shut.

“The last time I checked, Frerin, I am an adult,” Dís said. “It’s up to myself and Bard when we would have wanted to let everyone know we were together.”

“And we did intend on telling people,” Bard said. “But it’s been awhile for us both being with someone since our spouses other than casual dates. We were just enjoying being a couple without people constantly watching us.”

“We aren’t judging,” Thorin finally said, giving his brother a look. “We want Dís happy, and you too. You’ve become like family since you and yours have joined us for dinner night. And it’s been nice for us to see some of the old Fíli now that he’s dancing again.”

“I uh… I have some news,” Fíli said. “Though I think we need to get dinner out on the table so that we can settle everything with what I walked in on.” He glanced at his uncle. “And since I was able to hear Uncle Frerin yelling before I even came in…” Frerin at least had the decency to flush, ducking his dark head. Bilbo leaned down and pressed a fond kiss to the top of his fiance’s head.

“Dinner’s ready!” Bombur said boisterously as he stepped out of the kitchen. “So stop fighting and help me bring the food out.”

The families separated to get the food Bombur had made for the evening meal. Normal chatter was struck up again as the awkwardness of Frerin confronting Bard and Dís passed. The only change noted was that the two seemed to sit closer to one another, finally allowing people to see they were together.

“Are you two going to get married?” Tilda asked after they were well into eating their meal. Sigrid had to choke down her laughter as she cut up the hot dogs Bombur had made for Laína as she was in the midst of a food phase where she only ate hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.

Bard almost choked on his wine, needing to take a moment before he could speak. Dís took pity on him, smothering laughter down as she looked at Tilda. “We don’t know, darling,” she said. “We are just dating right now.”

“Like Sigrid and Fíli?” Tilda asked.

“Very much like that,” Bard said. Tilda nodded, getting a thoughtful look. Dís squeezed Bard’s hand, smiling gently at him.

“Um,” Fíli started. “So… Headmaster Greenleaf offered me a… very unique offer today.”

“Did it involve a raise?” Kíli teased him. He lifted his hands when his brother glared at him.

“What was it?” Thorin asked, taking a sip of his ale.

“He uh…” Fíli was suddenly nervous. He stood on the edge of a cliff that could lead to something he had always wanted or not depending on how they reacted. “He uh… he said that he wanted me to reconsider my dance career and rejoin Mirkwood.”

“But… he knows why you had to quit,” Dís pointed out.

“He does,” Fíli said. “He said he wants to start a student worker program and I would be one of the first. He offered me a position as a student to finish my final year. I’d also be a teacher’s aide and he would pay me the same salary as what I make as a janitor. Once I’ve officially graduated, he wants me to be a part of the professional troupe until I am ready to be a teacher at the academy, if I want to be.”

“Fíli,” Sigrid breathed out. “Oh… that’s amazing!”

“You said yes, right?” Kíli asked, excited for his brother.

“I told him I needed to think about it,” Fíli said.

“That’s crazy!” Kíli said. “Of course you should have said yes!”

“Kíli,” Thorin said. “Fíli does have a daughter to think of, as well as his relationship with Sigrid.”

“Clearly she’s ecstatic for him!” Kíli said. “I mean look at her.”

“I am,” Sigrid said. “But I understand why Fíli said he needed to think about it.” She shook her head at the look on the younger daBragi’s face.

“I didn’t want to jump into a decision until I talked to everyone,” Fíli said. “I mean… there might be traveling once I’m in the troupe, which means Laína here without me. I mean she’ll be a year older, but she’ll still be so little…”

Sigrid reached over and put her hand over Fíli’s. He looked at her, shifting his hand to hold her fingers. Dís watched them with a fond smile before she spoke up. “Fíli, do you want to go back to dancing and potentially reach your dream?” she asked. “Take nothing else into consideration but what you want right now.”

“How can I, amad?” Fíli asked. “Laína…”

“Fíli, do you want to go back?” Thorin cut in, seeing what his sister was doing.

“I do,” Fíli finally said after a few moments. “I really do.”

“Then do it,” Sigrid said. Fíli looked at her. “I mean it. You have a huge family and extended family that will help with Laína, and I’ll always be there to help you and support you.”

“But you have your studies too,” Fíli said. “And your own career.”

“I do, and I still will,” Sigrid said. “We’re in this together. You deserve your dream as much as I do, and you have the chance to take it. So… take it.”

Fíli looked at his family before looking at Sigrid once more. The acceptance and pride on everyone’s faces at this news left him feeling choked up. He had to clear his throat a little before he smiled softly at Sigrid.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll take it.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fickle muses are fickle. Here's hoping they cooperate more.

Returning to classes was harder than Fíli had anticipated when he agreed. Plus adding in juggling a schedule of teaching assistance, finding time to rehearse with Sigrid, taking care of Laína, and just generally living life… well needless to say, Fíli was exhausted after his first week back at Mirkwood.

He missed his girlfriend as well. Except for their rehearsal time, Fíli and Sigrid rarely got to see each other. With family dinner that night, he wasn’t sure if he would even make it. When he got a text saying that they were canceling that night because Bombur was helping with the sick kids, he had to admit he wasn’t that disappointed.

Walking into his house had him pausing when he saw the rest of the Bowman family there with Thorin and Kíli. Granted, since Bard and Dís were openly dating now, the Bowmans and deBragis would go back and forth between houses, he just hadn’t expected to see them tonight.

“Fíli, you… you look like sh--,” Kíli started to say until Thorin smacked his shoulder and looked to where Laína was sitting and coloring with Tilda.

“Just tired,” Fíli said. “Been a rough first week.” He smiled gently as Sigrid walked over, kissing his cheek. Looping his arm around her, he hugged her close.

“Why don’t you go shower and get ready for dinner,” Dís suggested as she and Bard cooked side by side. “Since Bombur had to cancel, we are just doing a small thing. Frerin and Bilbo went out to dinner, so it’s just all of us here.”

“All right,” Fíli said. He kissed Sigrid’s cheek again before stepping around the table to drop a kiss on top of his daughter’s head. He trudged up to his room to take the suggested shower.

The hot water was soothing against his tired muscles, his forehead pressed to the wall. He managed to rouse himself enough to finish showering before getting out. The last thing he really remembered was sitting on the bed after pulling on a pair of sleep pants. It wasn’t until he felt a blanket being draped over him that he woke up to see Sigrid above him.

“Hi, love,” Sigrid said quietly. 

Frowning, Fíli turned to look at the clock on the side of his bed. It had been three hours since he had taken his shower. “Dammit,” he said quietly.

“You needed the rest,” Sigrid said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

“I wanted to tuck Laína in,” Fíli said, sitting up.

“She tucked you in,” Sigrid said with a smile.

Fíli looked at her, arching his eyebrow. “What?”

“When we realized you hadn’t come down, Laína and I came up to make sure you were all right,” Sigrid said. “When we saw you were asleep, she put a blanket over you and kissed your cheek. Then she asked me if I would tuck her in since you were sleepy.”

“Thank you,” Fíli said. “She didn’t give you any trouble?”

“Not at all,” Sigrid said. She laughed as Fíli drew her close and pulled her down beside him, nuzzling her hair. “You should get some sleep.”

“Stay with me,” Fíli murmured against her hair. Reaching up, Sigrid’s fingers brushed along Fíli’s cheek.

“Not tonight,” she said softly. “I don’t have a change of clothes and I promised Da I would be home tonight since he’s staying over.”

Fíli groaned a bit. “I can’t believe our love lives are contingent on when our parents are having a sleepover,” he said.

Sigrid started to giggle, feeling him chuckle against her. She shifted until she was facing him and pressed a kiss to his lips. What started as a quick peck turned into something deeper, slow and lazy. Once Sigrid pulled back, she brushed her nose against Fíli’s.

“I should go,” she whispered. She pressed her lips against his again before she got up. “See you at Mirkwood tomorrow.”

“I love you,” Fíli said.

“I love you,” Sigrid said, kissing his temple. “Get some sleep.” Fíli was asleep almost as soon as Sigrid closed his bedroom door and headed home.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

The next morning had been hectic with various classes, but it was a day for Fíli to look forward to as well since it was the day that he and Sigrid would have the chance to be in a class together. With her advanced talent, she had a few classes that were considered for seniors, so it gave them a chance to participate in a class together since she was not in any he helped teach.

The two stretched together, talking quietly about their day so far, being sure to not disturb the others as they listened to the teacher calling out counts while stretching. Once done, they rose and worked through the class. Sigrid and Fíli had purposely not paired up during actual dances in order to remain fair to others, especially with Fíli being such an experienced dancer.

The class was just finishing up when the teacher clapped loudly a few times as a group of people entered the room. Fíli was wiping his face off as Sigrid was taking a drink when he stiffened slightly. He noticed Sigrid pulling the water bottle down and a frown forming at his reaction.

“Students, we have a special treat for class for the next couple weeks,” the teacher said. “A few of our alumni, who have been working professionally since graduating, will be guest teaching various classes while here.”

The class began to chatter excitedly, many moving towards the alumni dancers to talk to them. After a few moments, one of the dancers, a woman with dark, loose curls walked over to Fíli. Sigrid watched her, recognizing her immediately from the alumni wall. Her gaze flicked to Fíli, understanding his reaction now.

The woman stopped, giving Fíli a soft smile, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Hello, Fíli,” she said, her voice a low, husky sound.

“Hello, Dorku.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T HATE ME!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to hit the fan...

Fíli leaned against a nearby post in Bombur's, watching his beautiful little girl as she animatedly talked and colored in a coloring book with Tilda. Occasionally her blonde head lifted, making sure she could see Sigrid nearby, who was sitting beside Frerin, discussing his upcoming wedding with Bilbo. Despite being glad that normal family dinner night had been rescheduled to tonight, a rare night when the pub was taking a second night to be closed, he was not feeling very social. He had distanced himself a bit tonight since the discussion with Dorku earlier, his mind whirling at the fact that she was even back.

_“Students, we have a special treat for class for the next couple weeks,” the teacher said. “A few of our alumni, who have been working professionally since graduating, will be guest teaching various classes while here.”_

_The class began to chatter excitedly, many moving towards the alumni dancers to talk to them. After a few moments, one of the dancers, a woman with dark, loose curls walked over to Fíli. Sigrid watched her, recognizing her immediately from the alumni wall. Her gaze flicked to Fíli, understanding his reaction now._

_The woman stopped, giving Fíli a soft smile, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Hello, Fíli,” she said, her voice a low, husky sound._

_“Hello, Dorku.” Fíli's tone was less than friendly as he spoke to the mother of his child._ No, Fíli, Dorku was merely the egg that helped create Laína. If anyone could be called her mother, it was Sigrid, _his thoughts reminded him._

_"How are you?" Dorku asked, reaching to put her hand on Fíli's forearm. She frowned when he moved his arm away and stepped closer to Sigrid. She had seen the shapely blonde beside Fíli, but had chosen to ignore her because she was a non-factor in Dorku's mind. When his body shifted to face Sigrid in a very familiar fashion, Dorku realized this girl was going to be a problem for her._

_"Fine," was all he said in response to Dorku's question._

_"I was pleasantly surprised to see you in class," Dorku said, still ignoring Sigrid. "I hadn't realized you had returned to Mirkwood."_

_"Recent change," Fíli said. "Thanks to Headmaster Greenwood."_

_"I'm glad," Dorku said. "So much talented wasted when you quit."_

_Fíli stiffened. "I had good reason for quitting," he said. "Just an even better reason and opportunity to return."_

_Dorku smiled sweetly. "Of course," she said. "How is our daughter?" Sigrid stiffening beside Fíli was not lost on Dorku._

_"*My* daughter is fine," Fíli said._

_"I'd like to see--," Dorku started._

_"No," Fíli said. "You made your choice, Dorku. You have no rights to my daughter."_

_Dorku's gaze darkened a little. "I gave birth to her, Fíli," she said._

_"And then you walked away, legally signing over your rights I might add," Fíli pointed out. He grabbed his bag, then Sigrid's hand. Without another word, he pushed past Dorku. There was a glint in her eye that he didn't like, but pushed it aside for now as he and Sigrid left the room._

"You look preoccupied," Thorin's deep voice cut into Fíli's thoughts. He blinked, looking at his uncle.

"Sorry," Fíli said. "Just..." He frowned when he heard a tap on the door to the bar.

Bofur rose and walked over to the door, unlocking it, speaking as he opened to the person. "We're cl..." He trailed off as he saw Dorku standing there.

"Bofur," she said with a smile. "Good to see you."

"What the hell are **you** doing here?" Kíli demanded as he got to his feet.

Dorku arched a brow as she stepped past Bofur's shocked form. "Watch the language, Kee," she said. "My daughter is sitting just a table over from you."

"The only daughters I see here are Bard's daughters and Fíli's daughter," Dwalin said, his tone lazy, but hard as nails. He hadn't even stood from where he had been sitting.

"Charming as always, Dwalin," Dorku said with a slight smile.

"That's Mr. Fundinson to you," Dwalin said, his tone becoming less lazy, a hardened gaze leveling at the woman. His jaw tightened when Dorku simply laughed. 

Fíli stiffened when the dark-haired dancer turned and her eyes landed on Laína, who was now standing by Bilbo's chair, her small hand on her future uncle's thigh. A soft gasp slipped past her lips. "She's gotten so big!" Dorku said. She looked at Fíli with a smile. "She's got your coloring."

"Thank Mahal," Dís said, her fingers tightening around Bard's. He squeezed her fingers, his own jaw tight and his eyes flicking between Dorku and where Sigrid stood. Sigrid’s entire form was tight and ready to pounce. It was a stance he recognized all too well. It was one his late wife had often had when ready to defend her children, and one he often saw in Dís when she was ready to defend her boys. The same posture she had at this moment.

"A pleasure to see you, D--," Dorku started.

"If you dare use my given name and not Mrs. daBragi or Nurse daBragi, you'll be in need of dental work when I knock your teeth into your head," Dís said in a low tone. She had never liked Dorku when Fíli had been with her. Obviously that dislike had turned to hatred when the woman had abandoned Laína.

Dorku's lips pursed. "Well then," she said. Her face shifted and a fake smile bloomed across her face. She moved closer to Laína, noting how everyone stiffened as she knelt to look at the little girl. 

"Hi sweetheart," she said. "I'm your mommy."

Laína simply stared at her. Her little fingers curled tightly into the cloth of Bilbo's trousers. When Dorku attempted to inch closer, she bolted around the chair and straight to Sigrid, who was ready and kneeling when she saw the little girl move. In a smooth motion, she had lifted Laína into her arms, feeling the toddler bury her face into her neck as she clung to the woman she had grown to see as a mother since she had met her. 

“You are nothing to her,” Sigrid finally said, running a soothing hand down Laína’s back as she whimpered a little. 

Dorku’s face darkened, her eyes narrowing at the younger woman. “She is my daughter,” she said. “I’d appreciate it if you would hand her--.” She looked down as she felt a firm hand around her upper arm before she followed its owner to look into Fíli’s angry face.

“Sigrid, why don’t you take Laína and Tilda upstairs,” Thorin suggested, his deep voice sounding very dangerous in that moment. 

“Til, grab the coloring. We’ll go upstairs and color some more with Laína,” Sigrid said, glancing to her sister. The girl didn’t need to be told twice, gathering up everything with her brother’s help.

“I’ll go with you,” Tauriel, who had been silent up until that point, said. “I think everything else here is handled until dinner is ready.” She had never liked Dorku much when she had been at Mirkwood, mostly because the woman had been manipulative beyond reason even then. It would seem that time had not matured or changed her.

No one said a single word until the soft click of the door upstairs was heard once Sigrid, Laína, Bain, Tilda, and Tauriel had left. Finally, Dorku yanked her arm from Fíli’s grasp and gave him a snarky look.

“You need to reign in your babysitter’s attitude around our daughter,” she said. “Though why you need her around when you are here is beyond me.”

“Sigrid is not Laína’s babysitter,” Fíli said. “She’s the only mother _***my***_ daughter has ever known and she’s my girlfriend.”

“She is not Laína’s mother,” Dorku said hotly. “I am.”

“Not according to the courts,” Frerin said. “You signed over your parental rights to Fíli before you took off after she was born.”

“And right now, you are trespassing,” Bombur said as he walked from behind the bar. “My bar is currently closed, except to invited family and friends. Since you are neither, I will tell you only once to leave. If I have to do it a second time, it’ll involve the cops.”

Dorku’s jaw tightened, her eyes raking over everyone there. Most of them were standing, glaring angrily at the dark-haired woman that had the audacity to be there. Turning fully to face Fíli, her voice dropped low to speak to him.

“This isn’t over,” she said. “I will see my daughter.” Shoving past him, she walked to the door, slamming it shut as she left the bar.

Thorin walked over to his nephew, resting a hand on his shoulder. He could feel Fíli shaking with rage beneath his hand. “She doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” he told him quietly.

“No, she doesn’t,” Fíli said, his eyes still on the door. “But I have a sick feeling in my gut this is going to get worse before it gets better.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to hit the fan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.. yeah...

Sigrid paused as she saw the light of the emergency vehicles bouncing off the trees and sidewalk near her house. She quickly locked her car door and ran towards the house, her heart thundering. She turned the corner to see cops standing there, talking to her father, a distraught Dís, and Tilda, whose cheeks were stained with tears. She was clinging to Dís, occasionally burying her face into the shorter woman’s shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Sigrid asked, running up to them.

“Laína was taken,” Bard said, his voice grim.

“What?!” Sigrid demanded.

“We have a child rescue alert out for her,” the officer said. “Though we would like to--.”

“What is going on?” Fíli was completely panicked as he ran up. “Where’s my daughter?!” As he came up, he had heard the term child rescue alert and knew immediately something was wrong with Laína.

The officer turned. “Are you Fíli DaBragi?” he asked.

“Yes, where is my daughter?” Fíli said again, setting his bag down.

“According to what we’ve been told, her mother took the minor child from the Bowman home,” the officer said. “Mister Bowman’s son and daughter called 999 immediately when they could not stop her from taking the child. Is there a custody dispute between you?”

“Dorku has no legal right to my daughter, so no,” Fíli said. “I have legal documentation that she signed away her parental rights to Laína shortly after she was born.”

The office frowned, making a note before pulling his radio. “Could you get those documents for me?” he asked. “Once I have them in hand, we can officially rule this a kidnapping and make sure a warrant is in place for Miss Greyworm’s arrest.”

“I have them here,” Fíli said, kneeling down to reach into his bag. Pulling out a large legal size envelope, he pulled a stack of papers out, quickly finding what he needed before handing it to the officer.

The officer took it and reviewed, arching a brow when he saw the judge that had signed the order was Gandalf Láthspell. He clicked his radio to speak to his superior. “Chief, I’m with the father of the missing minor. I have paperwork in hand, signed by Judge Láthspell, stating that he has full physical and primary custody of the child. The woman who took her is the child’s mother biologically, but she has no legal claim to the child.”

A soft curse was heard over the line before a smooth voice spoke. “Stay with the father and witnesses, I’ll call Láthspell and Doctor Artanis,” the man said before clicking to end his discussion with the officer.

“Who is Doctor Artanis?” Fíli wanted to know.

“Galadriel Artanis,” Dís spoke up. “She’s head of child services and specializes in situations like this.”

“Why don’t we head inside?” Bard suggested. 

“Yes, good idea,” Dís said. “Officer, may we return to the house?”

“Of course,” he said. “It’ll give me a chance to speak with your son, Mister Bowman. I want to talk to the paramedics, make sure he doesn’t need to be transported to the hospital.”

“What happened to Bain?” Sigrid demanded of her father.

“Inside first,” Bard said, glancing at the neighbors that were starting to gather along the sidewalks, gawking at their house, whispering behind their hands.

The family entered the house, the officer going off to speak to Bain. Sigrid gasped when she noticed blood on the floor.

“Apparently Bain resisted Dorku attempting to get in here,” Bard explained as Sigrid hurried to get something to clean up the blood. She paused when Bard stopped her, shaking his head. “Not until we are given word by the authorities.”

“She assaulted Bain?” Fíli asked, his voice filled with anger.

“Bain said she shoved at the door as he attempted to shut it. It slammed into his face and disoriented him enough that she ran in and grabbed Laína,” Bard said. “Dís suggested he go to the hospital to get scans done to make sure nothing is broken.”

“Tilda twisted her ankle trying to run after Dorku, which is probably for the best,” Dís said. “It’s bad enough she has my grandbaby and hurt Bain. I can’t imagine if she had hurt Tilda further.”

“Dís?” Thorin’s voice called from outside. After getting a nod from Bard, another officer near the door allowed the tall man to enter. “I got your message. Any word?”

“Not yet,” Dís said. “The officer contacted his Chief. They are getting a warrant for Dorku and treating this as a kidnapping. They’ve also issued a child rescue alert.”

“Yeah, that I heard as I drove in,” Thorin said. “The boys are putting out their own feelers and a few of the adults in the nearby neighborhoods are already out scouting the area to see if they can find any sign of Dorku.”

Fíli walked over to one of the kitchen chairs, sitting down heavily. Sigrid moved over to him quickly, putting her arms around him. He leaned into her, his head resting against her stomach. “Mahal, please let them find her,” he whispered.

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

“Dor—what... why is Fíli DaBragi’s child with you?” Legolas asked as he stepped into Dorku’s room provided to them at Mirkwood Academy. Laína was sitting on a chair, her knees curled to her chest as she clutched a worn stuffed cat. She was sniffling and tears were running down her chubby cheeks. He frowned when he saw Dorku packing a bag.

“She is my daughter, of course,” Dorku said. She sighed when Laína whimpered, snapping her eyes to the little girl. “Would you stop whining?”

Legolas frowned deeply. “What do you mean she is your daughter?” he asked. Something wasn’t right with all of this. He had never known who Fíli had knocked up to have his daughter, even if he knew that something had happened between Dorku and Fíli.

“Oh come on, Legolas,” Dorku said with a haughty laugh. “Put two and two together, handsome. Fíli and I were lovers, I got pregnant, and the kid is the result.”

“You haven’t been here,” Legolas said. “So why--.”

“Look, I don’t have time,” Dorku said. “I need to get packed because I still need to stop and get things for—would you shut UP!” Dorku whirled, the last shouted at Laína. Her whimpers had grown a little louder, but the shout made her start crying more. Dorku sighed, rubbing her fingers against her forehead.

“Why don’t you pack? I’ll try to calm her down,” Legolas said. Now he knew something wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but the girl wouldn’t be whimpering and crying if she wanted to be with her mother.

“You are a peach,” Dorku all but purred at Legolas, going back to the task at hand as the tall blonde eased himself over on his crutches. He set them aside to sit beside Laína, who drew away.

“Hey there,” he said. “Want to hear a story?” Laína sniffled, looking at him with big, blue eyes. She shifted in the chair, hesitant at first. When Legolas settled himself in more, she sat in his lap, facing him. He was thankful that she did as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He frowned as he saw the text alert about a potentially kidnapped child.

The description matched Laína.

Glancing up at Dorku, noting that her back was turned as she gathered more of her clothes. He quickly pulled up a new message, putting his father and Tauriel’s numbers into the to field.

_Dorku’s at her room on campus. She’s got DaBragi’s kid. Hurry, she’s packing her bags._

Glancing up again to make sure Dorku didn’t see him, he tucked his phone away just as she turned back to face him to continue packing. Taking a breath, he gave Laína a smile. “So about that story…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, if you kill me, I can't fix the cliffhanger...
> 
> As a note, both Láthspell and Artanis are other names that Gandalf and Galadriel, respectively, are known by according to Tolkien Gateway.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another shorter chapter.

Fíli couldn’t sleep, almost wouldn’t allow himself to sleep, not with everything that had happened. He had almost lost his little girl. He looked down, running his fingers through her blonde curls, his hand brushing along Sigrid’s arm where it lay around Laína as the two slept. If it hadn’t been for Legolas’s fast thinking, he would have lost Laína just that quickly.

_As soon as Tauriel and Thranduil received Legolas’s text, they moved immediately into action. Thranduil, in his office, immediately called 999 and discussed with the responder that he had information on the missing girl and where to find her. Tauriel headed towards the dorms where the professional troupe had been put up for housing and called Sigrid along the way. It was Sigrid who had told the family._

_Sitting in the police vehicle anxiously as he was personally escorted to Mirkwood Academy, Fíli felt edgy and wanted them to go even faster than they already were. He just wanted his child. Once the car had stopped, he was out fast and running to where he heard Dorku screaming._

_“Let me go! He doesn’t deserve her! He was supposed to be with me! Not that slut! He was supposed to get rid of the brat! Let me GO!” She was struggling against the police holding her, leading her to a nearby car._

_“Where is she? Where’s--,” Fíli asked, his eyes almost glazed with red, until he heard her voice._

_“Daddy!” Laína cried, her voice thick with tears._

_Spinning, Fíli saw her in Thranduil’s arms. He ran over and took his daughter from his boss and instructor. “Thank you,” he said, his own voice shaky as tears clogged his speech._

_“Mister DaBragi?” He turned to the paramedic that had been standing near Thranduil. “Your daughter has a minor abrasion on her cheek. We suspect it is from her mother striking her.”_

_“Dorku Greyworm may have biologicaly helped created my daughter, but she is not her mother,” Fíli said, his tone hard. “She legally gave up her rights to her after she was born. Laína has never known her and the only person she views as a mother is my girlfriend. A stranger kidnapped and assaulted my child.”_

_The paramedic nodded, making a note in her chart. She took no offense to Fíli’s tone. “I will be certain to let the authorities know that,” she said. “I would suggest allowing us to take your daughter to Esgaroth General Hospital just to ensure that there are no injuries that we cannot see from the abduction. I am certain that Doctor Artanis will want to speak to you and your daughter, since child protective services are involved.”_

_Fíli nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Can I ride in the ambulance with her?”_

_“Of course,” the paramedic said. “If you’ll come with me…” ___

__Fíli had followed the paramedic and got into the ambulance with her. He knew that Sigrid and his family had already been on the way to the hospital with Bain and Tilda to make sure they were alright. He had also sent a text to his mother, brother, and uncles to let them know that he Laína was back in his arms and that they would see them at the hospital._ _

__Once there, it didn’t take them long to clear Laína of anything that was wrong, save for the trauma and the minor bruise that was forming from where Dorku did, in fact, slap Laína when she started crying too loud. Sigrid was incensed and wanted to destroy the former dancer, but Laína clinging to her kept her in check. Only Fíli and Sigrid had heard the little girl quietly calling Sigrid “mama” before she had buried her face in Sigrid’s neck._ _

__When Galadriel Artanis joined them, she assured Fíli that when Dorku was taken to court over the kidnapping and assault charges, there was no way the legal system would consider anything she really had to say about the matter of parental rights. The legal documents that had been signed by Judge Láthspell was all any judge would have needed had Dorku taking Fíli to court, let alone taking into consideration the fact that the woman had essentially assaulted Bain, endangered both Tilda and Laína. This didn’t even include the fact that she had kidnapped Laína._ _

__Thankfully Bain’s nose nor cheekbone were broken, though he would be sore for a few days. Tilda’s ankle was twisted, but not sprained or broken. With Dís making sure both took it easy, they would be fine._ _

__It was Laína that she was more worried about. The normally chatty child was very quiet and clung to Sigrid or Fíli. She hesitated even going to her great uncle or grandmother, shying away from Bard when he tried to caress her blonde curls._ _

__Galadriel and Elrond, who had examined the girl, assured Dís and Fíli that this was not uncommon in such situations. Deep down the toddler knew she could trust those around her, but as Fíli was her father, and she looked to Sigrid as a mother. Children often times clung to their parental figures immediately, shying away from anyone, even family. They told the Durins, DaBragis, and Bowmans that it would take at least until morning for her to realize she was truly safe again, but it could take a day or two. If it lasted longer, Galadriel and Elrond both made themselves available if assistance was needed to talk and see to the little girl’s needs._ _

__Glancing down once more at his daughter, Fíli had noted that as soon as she was back in her home and back around the things she knew and felt safe with, she had started to open up again. She had finally let go of Sigrid and had gone to other members of the family. She wasn’t quite her bubbly self again, but she wasn’t as closed off as before. She had even managed to giggle and talk to Kíli a bit before a yawn had indicated her need for rest._ _

__Sigrid had turned to her father before Fíli had brought Laína to bed, but before she could have spoken, he insisted she remain with Fíli and Laína. He stroked his daughter’s cheek, kissing her forehead before he had walked back to Dís. Bard was not blind; he saw how Laína looked to Sigrid, but more importantly he saw how Fíli looked at Sigrid. It was the same look of devotion he had once bestowed on Thyra before her death, and it was the same look he had been giving to Dís more and more. He wasn’t going to separate his daughter from the little girl she saw as her own or the man she loved._ _

__Fíli’s gaze lifted to Sigrid when he heard her murmur a bit. She didn’t wake, her arm draping over Laína more, her fingers brushing against Fíli’s thigh. His heart swelled and he knew he could never let her go. She was the mother his daughter had never had, something he had always hoped to find for her. More importantly, he finally found someone he could trust enough to give his heart to once more. She filled a hole he hadn’t realized needed to be filled. For as much as he tried to deny it, he had loved Dorku when they had been together and conceived Laína. His anger and hurt when she had abandoned them had been as much for his loss as it had been for his daughter’s. In hindsight, he was glad for the hardships he had faced, because he could have been trapped or blinded when Sigrid came into his life. She was a gift he never could give up._ _

__Pressing a kiss to Laína’s blonde curls, he leaned over her a bit to kiss Sigrid’s forehead. Fíli finally felt the day’s events hitting him and he snuggled down beside his daughter and girlfriend. Making sure they were all covered with a light blanket, he put his arm over the two, letting his eyes close. Within moments he was asleep._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to hold off on getting back into the swing of things with the dancing and the happiness in life until the next chapter. This chapter is about dealing with the resolution, for the most part, of Dorku. More will be brought up dealing with her, or at least mentions of her, in the next couple chapters. However, her crazy ass is now handled for the most part.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fíli and Legolas talk, as do Sigrid and Fíli. Life is slowly getting back to normal, which means back to dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block + financial stress + no permanent job + trying to secure funds for my spring semester = a writer that has no desire to write on ANY of her stories.

Life was slowly returning to normal after Dorku had taken Laína. Gandalf and Galadriel had informed Fíli that he did not have to be at her trial unless he had wanted to. The amount of evidence against her was enough that he didn’t have to. He contemplated going, but in the end chose not to do so. It was enough to know that others had gone in his stead, including his mother and Bard. Surprisingly, he had learned, so had Legolas and Thranduil. Legolas surprised him more than Thranduil had. Thranduil had a stake in what happened to Dorku, wanting to see justice done since she had worked for him and had kidnapped the child of one of his employees and students. Legolas, however, had no stake in any of what had happened.

Fíli rounded the corner at the academy, one of his first days back since almost having his daughter kidnapped. He pulled up his steps quickly and stopped when he came face to face with the man he was just wondering about. Legolas was still using crutches, but more to assist with keeping most of his weight off of his knee, but at least he was walking once more on it. Fíli suspected he’d be moving to a cane soon.

“DaBragi,” Legolas said.

“Greenleaf,” Fíli replied. He started to go around Legolas, but stopped. He looked at the blonde. “Thank you for sending the text about Dorku that kept my daughter from being taken.”

“You’re welcome,” Legolas said. “I… I didn’t know she was your daughter’s mother. Not until that night.”

“You knew we were together before she took off, you never saw her pregnant?” Fíli asked.

“I did,” Legolas said. “But I never put two and two together. And I guess I had never thought she’d be one to abandon her child.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She uh… she also never said you were the father. It implied to me she wasn’t faithful.”

Fíli’s heart clenched. He had long suspected that Dorku hadn’t been faithful to him. His mother had even insisted, and he had agreed, that Dorku have a paternity test done later in her pregnancy to prove he was Laína’s father. She tried hedging around one, but one would have been done after her birth anyway. The tests had proven he was the father, but as soon as he saw his daughter once she was born it was obvious she was a DaBragi through and through.

“I suspected as much. When she told me she was pregnant, my family and I insisted she get a paternity test done once it was safe for the baby. If not, it would’ve been done after the baby was born,” Fíli said. “Laína is definitely mine. I don’t know what her game was, but the minute she was able to, she signed her parental rights over to me and left after Laína was born.”

“Then why…?” Legolas asked with a frown.

“Who knows,” Fíli said. “Pissed I didn’t fawn all over her when she got back, especially because of my relationship with Sigrid. Pissed that my family wasn’t thrilled that she was back, or even that Sigrid refused to give ground when she tried to take Laína from her. She could’ve just been spiteful because that’s who she is.”

“She was really that bad?” Legolas questioned.

“You always had blinders on with her, plus she never showed you her true colors,” Fíli said. “I was sucked into her orbit too, obviously since I have a daughter. I just learned the hard way that she’s not a good person, though I never realized just what a rotten person she was until all of this with Laína. It’s bad enough to essentially abandon your child, but then to try and kidnap her to be spiteful…”

Legolas rubbed the back of his neck, sighing softly. “I guess,” he murmured. “I always tried to think the worst of you since day one, but it increased with the whole getting a girl knocked up thing.”

“Look, I doubt we are ever going to be close or friends,” Fíli said. “But we’ve also never given one another the benefit of the doubt because of us vying for top spot in classes here. The fact that you had a thing for Dorku and I had a thing with her didn’t help. You didn’t exactly put yourself into my good graces after you hit Sigrid, regardless of her hitting you first because what you said to her was a dick move.”

Legolas flushed, clearing his throat. “Shit… yeah, not my greatest moment. I have no excuses for it. Even the ones I tried using at the time where weak and… I never did apologize to her,” he said. “I let my dislike of you get the best of me and to be honest, I felt shoved aside again.”

“Shoved aside?” Fíli’s brow furrowed. “Legolas, you injured your knee to the point of surgery. It was bound to happen that Sigrid would need to find another partner or she couldn’t do the showcase.”

“I know,” Legolas said. “But it was the fact that it was you who came to her rescue.”

“I don’t understand.”

“This is hard for me to admit, but I always felt less than you,” Legolas said. “You would outshine me at every turn when we were classmates. When you had to drop out, I saw it as my chance to finally be seen in the same way you were. Maybe then my father would see me as something more than a burden.”

“I doubt he sees you that way,” Fíli said. He had to admit he was a little uncomfortable with how candid Legolas was being. “And I know what it’s like to try and live up to a father’s expectations. If not for my mother and uncle going to bat for me learning dance, I never would have. It took my father seeing that I was good at it to get behind me.”

“I found out a few things that made me realize I was wrong,” Legolas admitted. “A little prespective goes a long way.”

“It can,” Fíli commented. “But you still owe Sigrid an apology.”

“I know,” Legolas said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I owe you one as well. I shouldn’t have blamed you or taken my shortcomings out on you. I’m sorry and I’m glad that your daughter is safe.”

“Thanks,” Fíli said. “Look, Greenleaf, I don’t think we’ll ever be friends, but maybe we need to start over and try being more cordial to one another.”

Legolas nodded, shifting on his crutch to extend his hand. “To starting over?” Fíli reached out and grasped his hand, shaking it.

“To starting over.”

## නර්තනශිල්පිනියක්

“Hey,” Sigrid said as Fíli kissed her cheek once he got to their rehearsal space at Bombur’s. “You okay? You look a million miles away.”

“I’m good,” Fíli said. “I had an interesting run-in with Legolas.”

Sigrid arched a brow as she straightened from the stereo. “Define interesting…”

Fíli grinned a bit. “No physical blows were exchanged,” he promised her. “We mostly discussed the situation with Dorku and Laína and I thanked him for his help in getting her back. I also told him he still owes you an apology for being a dick.”

“I don’t disagree,” she admitted. “What did he say when you said that, plus thanking him?”

“He agreed he needs to apologize, and I was given a little insight as to his actions,” Fíli admitted. “He said you’re welcome to my thanks and admitted he never put two and two together that Dorku was Laína’s mother.”

“She’s not her mother,” Sigrid grumbled. She glanced at her boyfriend, blushing when she saw him grin. “Well she’s not.”

Fíli walked over and slipped his arms around her. “Biological mother,” he amended. “To be fair, the only mother she knows of now is you. For which I am eternally grateful at how much you love her and accept her.”

“She’s a wonderful little girl, how could I not?” Sigrid asked. She reached up and caressed Fíli’s cheek gently. “How could I not love her when she’s a part of you and I love you with all I am?”

His heart warmed at her words, even as he leaned in and caught her lips with his own. He was content with kissing her, letting it grow a bit more heated before she pulled away. He arched an eyebrow when she did.

“I love kissing you, but we still have a showcase to rehearse for,” Sigrid reminded him. Fíli sighed dramatically, but winked at her as he stepped back. It wasn’t long before they were stretched and began rehearsing for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
